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litotes

   Also found in: Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.04 sec.
li·to·tes  (lt-tz, lt-, l-ttz)
n. pl. litotes
A figure of speech consisting of an understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by negating its opposite, as in This is no small problem.

[Greek ltots, from ltos, plain; see lei- in Indo-European roots.]

litotes
Noun
pl -tes understatement used for effect, for example `She was not a little upset' meaning `She was extremely upset' [Greek litos small]

litotes
an understatement, especially one in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary, as in “it’s not unpleasant.”
See also: Rhetoric and Rhetorical Devices
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.litotes - understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary); "saying `I was not a little upset' when you mean `I was very upset' is an example of litotes"
understatement - a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said
rhetorical device - a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance)

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? Mentioned in ? References in periodicals archive
 
In this reading the poem seems to invoke litotes, the rhetorical trope of understatement familiar from the bumper sticker "One atom bomb can spoil your whole day," but the usual form requires a strong sense of the scale of the event against which the understatement plays.
Paul uses the rhetorical figure litotes, the denial of its opposite, to stress a point.
Strings of negatives, litotes, double negatives, and antitheses in the Liberata are catalogued and interpreted in light of the Counter-Reformation's emphasis on prescription, censorship, and "the drive towards narrative closure" (109).
 
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