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catachresis

noun

Definition of catachresisnext
as in simile

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catachresis
  1. simile
  2. euphemism
  3. analogy
  4. circumlocution
  5. mixed metaphor
  6. code word
  7. metaphor
Noun
  • Isla’s mother, Chloe Howell, said the tween loves to crack jokes at home and came up with the funny simile herself.
    — Erin Clack, PEOPLE, 1 Aug. 2026
  • An image may resonate with deeper meanings (that’s what great directors can bring about), but the compression and displacement that make the simile devastating on the page have no cinematic equivalent.
    — David Denby, New Yorker, 21 June 2026
Definition of simile
Noun
  • Orwell was exploring the roles that euphemism, tangled syntax, and dying metaphors can play in obscuring the true intentions of a totalitarian state.
    — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • This is nothing more than a euphemism for encouraging less citizen input and involvement in determining city policies and spending priorities.
    — Joseph Landers, Baltimore Sun, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of euphemism
Noun
  • Using an analogy in which a touchdown means the Bears are officially moving to Hammond, McDermott said the ball is currently in the red zone.
    — Ryan Canfield OutKick, FOXNews.com, 20 Sep. 2026
  • There are some serious limits to the AI-nukes analogy, nuclear policy expert Ankit Panda wrote in February in his newsletter, Nukesletter.
    — J.D. Capelouto, semafor.com, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of analogy
Noun
  • But in terms of its actual content, the statement was pretty thin gruel, bristling with public relations-style circumlocution and vagueness.
    — Business Columnist, Los Angeles Times, 27 Jan. 2026
  • Here, instead, she’s swayed by a dead Diana softly squeezing her hand and kindly hinting — the dead Diana is an ace at tactful circumlocution — that now is the time to show a mourning nation some emotion.
    — Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 16 Nov. 2023
Definition of circumlocution
Noun
  • Cats, however, may turn out to be the canaries in the coalmines — pardon the mixed metaphor.
    — Jan Ellen Spiegel, Hartford Courant, 24 Dec. 2024
  • Excuse the mixed metaphor, but the Viper feels like a great white shark on the road.
    — WSJ, WSJ, 3 Dec. 2022
Definition of mixed metaphor
Noun
  • Some couples and families even choose a code word that means the conversation is pausing, Wilson says—not that the relationship is disappearing.
    — Angela Haupt, Time, 26 Aug. 2026
  • According to the Daily Mail, Baldoni and Swift actually communicated after the end of his dispute with Lively, and the two now share a code word when talking about the issue.
    — Lizzie Lanuza, StyleCaster, 13 July 2026
Definition of code word
Noun
  • Liu’s Met commission, with its disembodied hands, its severing and suturing of the organic and the mechanical, may be a metaphor for a civilization detached from its foundations and coming to its end.
    — Lavender Au, ARTnews.com, 21 Sep. 2026
  • But the Philharmonic’s actual principal trumpet player, Chris Martin (no relation to the Coldplay singer), says Dudamel has a natural instinct for when to pivot from engineering to philosophy, passion, and metaphor.
    — Justin Davidson, Vulture, 18 Sep. 2026
Definition of metaphor
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

catachreses
catachresis
catachrestic
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Cite this Entry

“Catachresis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catachresis. Accessed 26 Sep. 2026.

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