catachresis

Definition of catachresisnext

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for catachresis
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
Noun
  • 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
  • Sam Roberts, a longtime obituarist for the New York Times, wants to banish the euphemisms that attend death.
    Dan Piepenbring, Harpers Magazine, 4 Aug. 2026
Noun
  • Asante draws a manufacturing analogy—with some exaggeration—arguing that previous nuclear power plants were built bespoke, akin to constructing an entire factory to produce a single car.
    Jordan Blum, Fortune, 29 Aug. 2026
  • To run with Carney’s analogy, middle powers prepare an excellent menu of innovations and talent, and then place it on the table for superpowers to devour.
    Wal van Lierop, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2026
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
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
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
Noun
  • In verse 5 the central metaphor changes from shepherd to host.
    Frannie Comstock, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 Aug. 2026
  • And maybe that is the perfect metaphor for football in Florida in 2026.
    Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 26 Aug. 2026
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 2 Sep. 2026.

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