catachresis

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catachresis
Noun
  • Consider, for instance, the use of rhetorical figures such as metaphor or simile.
    Nino Letteriello, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2025
  • No metaphors or similes or hyperbolic language needed here – your kids are next.
    Rob Gagnon, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2025
Noun
  • Sometimes, this stems from their opinion that the supposedly tactful replacements for the R-word are equally if not more offensive — a classic example of the euphemism treadmill in practice.
    Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 22 Aug. 2025
  • This phrase has spun into a corporate euphemism, often one in which the motive is already pre-drawn: conversion.
    Aditya Vikram Kashyap, Forbes.com, 14 Aug. 2025
Noun
  • The video of serene waves that swished behind the curved stage at the start of Dua Lipa’s concert slowly intensified until the tide became a surge, an appropriate analogy for the pop superstar’s arrival in the US for the first time in more than three years.
    Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Simmons made an analogy of Jenkins at the wheels of FIU’s offense.
    Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Their circumlocutions were as entrancing as their ability to find the most precisely ironic words for difficult-to-name realities.
    Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 8 July 2025
  • 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
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
  • The triple-mixed metaphor says it all: Licht & Co. are struggling with the intractable problem of how to square the CNN brand’s promise — straight news — with the entertainment imperatives of nighttime television.
    Erik Wemple, Washington Post, 22 Dec. 2022
Noun
  • So, the vertices that are indexing positions of my code word.
    Quanta Magazine, Quanta Magazine, 7 Aug. 2025
  • The two decide to remedy that by packing four years' worth of adventure into one extremely chaotic, hilarious night, hyping each other up with compliments and providing unconditional support whenever one of them says their code word: Malala.
    Sophie Dodd, People.com, 9 July 2025
Noun
  • An earnest and thoughtful executive with a warm, open demeanor, Pinault was seated at Monday’s interview under a large black-and-white painting of an owl, the mascot for Kering — and a metaphor for his watchful eyes on shifting consumer sentiment and economic fluctuations.
    Miles Socha, Footwear News, 9 Sep. 2025
  • That metaphor of resilience was remembered by Canadians in February.
    Steve Tengler, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
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.

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Cite this Entry

“Catachresis.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/catachresis. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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