A figure of speech is a rhetorical device that accomplishes a unique effect by utilizing words distinctively. Although there are hundreds of figures of speech, here we’ll focus on 14 top examples.

Alliteration Examples

• She sells seashells.

Anaphora Examples

• “I came, I saw, I conquered.”

Assonance Examples

• A – “For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels named Lenore.” – “The Raven,” Edgar Allan Poe

Euphemism Examples

• A little thin on top

Hyperbole Examples

• I’ve told you to stop a thousand times.

Irony Examples

• “How nice!” she said when I told her I had to work all weekend.

Metaphor Examples

• heart of stone

Onomatopoeia Examples

• whoosh

Oxymoron Examples

• peace force

Personification Examples

• The flowers nodded.

Simile Examples

• as slippery as an eel

Synecdoche Examples

• wheels can represent a car

Understatement Examples

• It’s just a scratch. (referring to a large dent)

Idiomatic Figures of Speech

• I’m as mad as a wet hen! (I’m extremely angry.)