Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun litotes

1 sense of litotes

Sense 1
litotes, meiosis -- (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")
       => rhetorical device -- (a use of language that creates a literary effect (but often without regard for literal significance))
       => understatement -- (a statement that is restrained in ironic contrast to what might have been said)