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Litotes

Meaning of "Litotes" in the German dictionary

DICTIONARY

ETYMOLOGY OF THE WORD LITOTES

griechisch-lateinisch.

Etymology is the study of the origin of words and their changes in structure and significance.

PRONUNCIATION OF LITOTES IN GERMAN

Lito̲tes  , auch: [liˈtɔ…] 


GRAMMATICAL CATEGORY OF LITOTES

noun
adjective
verb
adverb
pronoun
preposition
conjunction
interjection
article
Litotes is a noun.
A noun is a type of word the meaning of which determines reality. Nouns provide the names for all things: people, objects, sensations, feelings, etc.

WHAT DOES LITOTES MEAN IN GERMAN?

litotes

Litotes is a stylistic figure in which a state of affairs is dealt with by the negation of its opposite, in order to achieve the conception of a concept by understatement or weakening, or the circumvention of an exaggeration or praise by the negation of the opposite or by double negation Assertion, and which thereby brings about a prominence of what has been said, or a rhetorical tropus of deliberate understatement. Litotes structure also has the reinforcement of a diminutive. As litotes in the widest sense, polite expressions of "understatement" can be understood. Like the irony, the litotes is an indirect form of emphasis, that is, functionally related to the hyperbola.

Definition of Litotes in the German dictionary

A figure of speech that expresses a cautious assertion by double negation or by negation of the opposite, and that thereby causes a pronouncement of what has been said.

GERMAN WORDS THAT RHYME WITH LITOTES

Absolutes · Altes · Bestes · Bootes · Cervantes · Contes · Coordinates · Cortes · Dentes · Descartes · Diabetes · Dotes · Fortes · Gentes · Hippokrates · Mesotes · Nantes · Notes · Partes · Pilates

GERMAN WORDS THAT BEGIN LIKE LITOTES

Litispendenz · litoral · Litorale · Litoralfauna · Litoralflora · Litorina · Litorinameer · Litorinazeit · Litorinellenkalk · Litorinen · Litschi · Litschipflaume · litt · Littering · Littreitis · Lituanist · Lituanistik · Lituanistin · lituanistisch · Litui

GERMAN WORDS THAT END LIKE LITOTES

Aszites · Comites · Dantes · Eingemachtes · Gehacktes · Geschnetzeltes · Hoplites · Kleingedrucktes · Languettes · Mithridates · Muttergottes · Orestes · Penitentes · Pommes frites · Sokrates · Sortes · Tagetes · Tantes · Thersites · sequentes

Synonyms and antonyms of Litotes in the German dictionary of synonyms

SYNONYMS

Translation of «Litotes» into 25 languages

TRANSLATOR

TRANSLATION OF LITOTES

Find out the translation of Litotes to 25 languages with our German multilingual translator.

The translations of Litotes from German to other languages presented in this section have been obtained through automatic statistical translation; where the essential translation unit is the word «Litotes» in German.
zh

Translator German - Chinese

litotes
1,325 millions of speakers
es

Translator German - Spanish

litotes
570 millions of speakers
en

Translator German - English

litotes
510 millions of speakers
hi

Translator German - Hindi

लीटोटा
380 millions of speakers
ar

Translator German - Arabic

صيغة بلاغية يعبر عن الموجب بضده المنفي
280 millions of speakers
ru

Translator German - Russian

литота
278 millions of speakers
pt

Translator German - Portuguese

litotes
270 millions of speakers
bn

Translator German - Bengali

একজাতীয় অর্থালংকার যাতে নঞর্থক শব্দের সাহায্যে তার বিপরীত সদর্থক ভাবটিকেই জোরালোভাবে প্রকাশ করা হয়
260 millions of speakers
fr

Translator German - French

litote
220 millions of speakers
ms

Translator German - Malay

litotes
190 millions of speakers
de

German

Litotes
180 millions of speakers
ja

Translator German - Japanese

緩叙法
130 millions of speakers
ko

Translator German - Korean

완서
85 millions of speakers
jv

Translator German - Javanese

litotes
85 millions of speakers
vi

Translator German - Vietnamese

litotes
80 millions of speakers
ta

Translator German - Tamil

குறைத்துக் கூறும் ஓர் உருவணி
75 millions of speakers
mr

Translator German - Marathi

याचा अर्थ
75 millions of speakers
tr

Translator German - Turkish

litotes
70 millions of speakers
it

Translator German - Italian

litote
65 millions of speakers
pl

Translator German - Polish

litotes
50 millions of speakers
uk

Translator German - Ukrainian

литота
40 millions of speakers
ro

Translator German - Romanian

litotă
30 millions of speakers
el

Translator German - Greek

σχήμα λιτότητας
15 millions of speakers
af

Translator German - Afrikaans

litotes
14 millions of speakers
sv

Translator German - Swedish

litotes
10 millions of speakers
no

Translator German - Norwegian

litotes
5 millions of speakers

Trends of use of Litotes

TRENDS

TENDENCIES OF USE OF THE TERM «LITOTES»

Principal search tendencies and common uses of Litotes
List of principal searches undertaken by users to access our German online dictionary and most widely used expressions with the word «Litotes».

Examples of use in the German literature, quotes and news about Litotes

EXAMPLES

10 GERMAN BOOKS RELATING TO «LITOTES»

Discover the use of Litotes in the following bibliographical selection. Books relating to Litotes and brief extracts from same to provide context of its use in German literature.
1
Darstellungsziele und Erzählstrategien in antiken Texten
[Glotta 54 (1976) 62-67] Man sollte meinen, auch heute noch sei die Litotes eine nicht unbekannte sprachliche Erscheinung. So definiert z. B. H. LAUSBERG:1 „ Die Litotes ist eine periphrastische Kombination der Emphase und der Ironie: der  ...
Adolf Köhnken, Anja Bettenworth, 2006
2
Interkulturelles Lernen als Gesprächsarbeit
Im Rahmen der ex-post Begründung für die Collagenarbeit und bei der Herstellung des Zusammenhangs von Rassismus mit der Trennung zwischen Eigenem und Fremden verwendet die Leiterin die rhetorische Figur der Litotes, also die ...
Kirsten Nazarkiewicz, 2010
3
Die Ironie: Kulturgeschichte und Textgestalt
6.2.9.2.1 Die Litotes Bereits ihrer Definition gemäß steht die Litotes dem Ironischen nahe: Sie gestaltet sich als Verneinung des Gegenteils und realisiert sich in konventionalisierten Wendungen wie: Nicht übel ! (= Sehr gut!) In Beispiel 27 (SZ ...
Marika Müller, 1995
4
Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der ...
eine Sache auszusprechen. Wenn nun der Sprechende trotzdem die Litotes ioixivou anwendet, so müssen wir, um die Kraft dieser Litotes an jeder einzelnen Stelle lehhaft zu fühlen, uns dessen bewusst werden , aus welcher ...
5
Sitzungsberichte der Kaiserlichen Akademie der ...
Wenn nun der Sprechende trotzdem die Litotes éoixévai anwendet, so müssen wir, um die Kraft dieser Litotes an jeder einzelnen Stelle lebhaft zu fühlen , uns dessen bewusst werden , aus welcher Gemüthsstimmung die Litotes hervorgieng  ...
6
Beiträge zur Kritik und Erklärung des Sophokles
Wenn nun der Sprechende trotzdem die Litotes loixivai anwendet, so müssen wir , um die Kraft dieser Litotes an jeder einzelnen Stelle lebhaft zu fühlen, uns dessen bewusst werden, aus welcher Gemüthsstimmung die Litotes hervorgieng und ...
Johann Kvíčala, 1865
7
Sitzungsberichte der Philosophisch-Historischen Klasse der ...
eine Sache auszusprechen. Wenn nun der Sprechende trotzdem die Litotes äozxs'vau anwendet, so müssen wir, um die Kraft dieser Litotes an jeder einzelnen Stelle lebhaft zu fiihlen, uns dessen bewusst werden , aus welcher ...
8
Sitzungsberichte
Wenn nun der Sprechende trotzdem die Litotes iotxevac anwendet, so müssen wir, um die Kraft dieser Litotes an jeder einzelnen Stelle lebhaft zu fühlen, uns dessen bewusst werden , aus welcher Gemüthsstimmung die Litotes hervorgieng  ...
Akademie der Wissenschaften (Wien) Philosophisch-Historische Klasse, 1865
9
Präsentieren wie ein Profi
Was ist Litotes? Im engeren Sinne bedeutet es eine Bejahung durch eine doppelte Verneinung: Er ist nicht unbegabt. Im weiteren Sinne werden schlichte und neutral formulierte Aussagen, die gerade dadurch ihre starke Wirkung erhalten, als ...
Norbert Freund
10
Poetik, Rhetorik und Stilistik: academische Vorlesungen
Das Gegentheil zur Hyperbel bildet die Litotes (lmirr;g), d. h. Kleinheit, Geringfügigkeit. Man versteht darunter die Uebertreibung nach unten hin, die Herabsetzung unter die Wahrheit. Man unterscheidet wohl von der Litote noch die raneimmg, ...
Wilhelm Wackernagel, Ludwig Sieber, 1873

10 NEWS ITEMS WHICH INCLUDE THE TERM «LITOTES»

Find out what the national and international press are talking about and how the term Litotes is used in the context of the following news items.
1
Strange but - True!
But a subtler type of double negative that is NOT UNACCEPTABLE and NOT UNCOMMON either is called litotes (LIGHT-o-tease), Greek for "understatement for ... «Waterford Today, Oct 16»
2
The Medical Records You've Been Waiting for Are Right Here in ...
“We use litotes.” I had never heard the word litotes, which means “words doctors use to remind you they're smarter than you are.” Despite his reluctance, I told ... «TIME, Sep 16»
3
Portrait of the Baby as a Young Baby
Her funniness is otherworldly; she is the reigning champion of litotes, or understatement for effect. Preternaturally deft, Galchen can do almost anything with next ... «lareviewofbooks, Jul 16»
4
The all-powerful Nicola Sturgeon's busy day of debates
Ms Dugdale certainly seemed to feel that this was an example of First Ministerial litotes. At least, she sat right sair astonished, gesturing ferociously in a fashion ... «BBC News, Jun 16»
5
Hating the new SATS? Meet the mums who chose home education ...
... children are accomplished and attentive – polite, cheerful, and keen to discuss topics from litotes (a Greek term for intentional understatement) to Chernobyl. «Telegraph.co.uk, May 16»
6
Bye-Bye, Banana Republic
... for effect--"He is not unlike his older brother"--is a literary device called "litotes. ... Wasn't litotes, along with sarcasm, metaphor, and dramatic irony, one of the ... «Brooklyn Heights Blog, Apr 16»
7
From alright to zap: an AZ of horrible words
When this is the intended result (a not uncommon rhetorical device), it is called “litotes”. When it isn't, and multiple negatives are used simply for emphasis, it is ... «The Guardian, Mar 16»
8
Kasich: 'I Don't Favor Closing Gitmo'
Why the use of litotes - "I don't favor..."? Why not be clear, direct and authoritative - "I oppose". That's why people like Trump - direct, clear and authoritative. «Breitbart News, Feb 16»
9
Entre nobles y pícaros
Pero en realidad quieren decir, por detrás de sus torpes litotes, que apuestan por la confrontación con la derecha española en todos los ámbitos, ... «El Mundo, Jan 16»
10
Average Admission Price: N/A – Free Mobile Game
... analyzing this game, especially when you stop to consider that Subway Surfers pretty much spans the entire range of tropes, including hyperbole, irony, litotes, ... «Capecodonline, Dec 15»
REFERENCE
« EDUCALINGO. Litotes [online]. Available <https://educalingo.com/en/dic-de/litotes>. Jun 2026 ».
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