What is the difference between synecdoche and metonymy? Synecdoche and metonymy (pronounced meh- tah -nuh-mee) are both rhetorical devices that substitute one word or phrase for another word or phrase, but they are different. Synecdoche uses a word that is a smaller part of the whole thing it’s describing (or vice versa). The meaning of SYNECDOCHE is a figure of speech by which a part is put for the whole (such as fifty sail for fifty ships), the whole for a part (such as society for high society), the species for the genus (such as cutthroat for assassin), the genus for the species (such as a creature for a man), or the name of the material for the thing made (such as boards for stage). Frequently Asked Questions About synecdoche . Synecdoche is a literary device in which a part of something represents the whole or it may use a whole to represent a part. Synecdoche is a figure of speech that uses a part of something to refer to the whole or vice versa. Learn how to use synecdoche in language with examples from the Cambridge English Corpus and Wikipedia.
