Figurative Language Terms & Examples

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What is Onomatopoeia?

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Onomatopoeia is a figure of speech where a word imitates the sound it represents, such as 'buzz', 'sizzle', or 'squish'.

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What is Hyperbole?

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Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement not meant to be taken literally, used for emphasis or effect, such as 'I've told you a million times!'.

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What is a Simile?

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A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things using the words 'like' or 'as', for example, 'as brave as a lion'.

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What is a Metaphor?

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A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without using 'like' or 'as', such as 'Time is a thief'.

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What is Personification?

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Personification is a figure of speech where human qualities are attributed to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts, like 'The wind whispered through the trees'.

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What is Alliteration?

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Alliteration is the repetition of the same initial consonant sound in a series of words, such as 'She sells sea shells by the sea shore'.

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What is an Oxymoron?

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An oxymoron is a figure of speech that combines contradictory terms, such as 'deafening silence' or 'bittersweet'.

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What is Imagery?

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Imagery is descriptive language that appeals to the senses and creates vivid mental pictures, such as 'The golden sun set behind the purple mountains'.

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What is a Pun?

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A pun is a form of word play that exploits multiple meanings of a term or similar-sounding words for humorous or rhetorical effect, like 'Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana'.

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What is a Cliché?

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A cliché is an overused expression or idea that has lost its originality and impact, such as 'All's fair in love and war'.