Metonymy is a literary device where something is referred to by the names of things or concepts related to it. In other words, this literary device involves replacing the name of a thing with something that is closely connected to it. For example, using the word ‘crown’ to refer to power or authority. Calling the American film industry Hollywood is another example of metonymy.
What is Synecdoche?
A synecdoche is a literary device that uses a part of something to represent the whole of it or whole of something to represent a part of something. For example, if someone says ‘I hired two new hands’, he is not just referring to hands, but for new helpers. Here, the word ‘hands’ represent helpers. Another well- known example we use in our daily life is the word ‘wheels’. If someone says, ‘nice wheels’, it’s automatically understood that he or she is referring to the whole vehicle, not just the wheels.
Key Takeaways
- Metonymy refers to a thing by the names of things or concepts related to it, while synecdoche uses a part of something to represent the whole or the whole to represent a part.
- Calling a car ‘wheels’ is an example of synecdoche, whereas using the word ‘crown’ to refer to power or authority is an example of metonymy.
- Both metonymy and synecdoche are literary devices that use a word or a phrase to represent something else, but they are not the same.
