antiphrasis

2 definitions found

antiphrasis - Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 :

  Antiphrasis \An*tiph"ra*sis\, n. [L., fr. Gr. ?, fr. ? to
     express by antithesis or negation.] (Rhet.)
     The use of words in a sense opposite to their proper meaning;
     as when a court of justice is called a court of vengeance.
     [1913 Webster] Antiphrastic

antiphrasis - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  antiphrasis
      n 1: the use of a word in a sense opposite to its normal sense
           (especially in irony)