Litotes - Meaning, Definition, Usage and Examples

When you try out a new dress or a new hairstyle, you would ask your friends or cousins if it suits you. They might say either of these – ‘It looks good’, ‘You look great’, ‘This dress suits you really well’, ‘Didn’t expect to try out new things, looks wonderful’, and so on. There are times when they would say, ‘It is not bad’. This is an example of litotes. This article aims to help you learn all about litotes, their definition and usage. Go through the examples given to have a clear idea.

Table of Contents

• What Are Litotes? – Meaning and Definition
• How Does Litotes Differ from Irony and Euphemism?
• Examples of Litotes
  • Examples of Litotes for Everyday Use
  • Examples of Litotes from English Literature
  • Examples of Litotes from Movies
• Frequently Asked Questions on Litotes in English Grammar

What Are Litotes? – Meaning and Definition

Litotes are statements that use a double negative to bring out a positive meaning. It is written with the use of ‘not’ followed by the opposite of the adjective. Adjectives are used in their degrees of comparison to create an effect.

The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms defines litotes as a figure of speech “by which an affirmation is made indirectly by denying its opposite, usually with an effect of understatement”. The Oxford Dictionary defines litotes as “the use of a negative or weak statement to emphasise a positive meaning”.

How Does Litotes Differ From Irony and Euphemism?

Litotes are often considered a form of verbal irony, but it is not exactly irony. While irony conveys something different or the exact opposite of a said situation, litotes use double negatives to convey something positive. Well, is it similar to euphemism? No, it isn’t. Euphemism is the use of words or phrases that would lighten the severity of the situation. Litotes, on the other hand, intensify the positive effect of the sentence. Look at the following examples for a better understanding.

Examples of Litotes

Going through some examples will help you understand clearly how it can be used. Given below are examples from literature and movies and a few examples of litotes that can be used in everyday situations. Check them out.

Examples of Litotes for Everyday Use

• Sudha isn’t a bad singer.
• The trip was not totally unbearable.
• The book has not been really helpful.
• I heard that Leena is not healthy.
• Renjith is going to Japan for a year. That is not such a short time.
• We are not as young as we used to be, are we?
• Our house is not bigger than yours.
• Detective novels are not so boring.
• Shanvin does not look miserable.
• Laura is not unlike her brother.

Examples of Litotes from English Literature

• “For he’s not stupid, blind, or disrespectful of the gods. He’ll spare a suppliant, treat him kindly.” (The Iliad by Homer)
• “The question is not how to get cured, but how to live.” (Joseph Conrad)
• “Not in this land shall he remain uncaught.” (King Lear by William Shakespeare)

Examples of Litotes from Movies

Given below are a few examples from English movies.

• In a conversation between Elizabeth Bennet and Charlotte Lucas from the movie ‘Pride and Prejudice’, you will find the usage of litotes.
  • Elizabeth Bennett: “He looks miserable, poor soul.”

Charlotte Lucas: “Miserable he may be, but poor he most certainly is not.”

• Aladdin says, “This is no ordinary lamp’, and continues describing the lamp, “It once changed the course of a young man’s life. A young man who, like this lamp, was more than what he seemed’. Here, by saying ‘no ordinary lamp’, he actually means that it is an extraordinary lamp.
• The dialogue, “Now, Pooh was not the sort to give up easily” from the movie, ‘The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh’, is an example of litotes.