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CEFR C1 — Advanced

Metonymy

Definition

(formal) A figure of speech in which a word or phrase is replaced by another closely associated with it, such as using 'the White House' to refer to the administration or 'Hollywood' to refer to the film industry.

Example Sentences

1The phrase 'Wall Street' is often used as a metonymy for the financial industry as a whole.
2In the sentence 'The pen is mightier than the sword,' 'pen' and 'sword' are metonymies for writing and violence, respectively.
3The use of metonymy in poetry allows for subtle and complex expressions of ideas and emotions.
4Critics argue that the metonymy of 'the market' for 'the economy' oversimplifies the complexities of economic systems.
5Metonymy is a common literary device in which a word or phrase is used to represent something closely associated with it, rather than its literal meaning.

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