asteism

A1S1T1E1I1S1M3

noun

Polite irony; a genteel and ingenious manner of deriding another.

OriginAncient Greek ἀστεῖος →
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Meanings

nounasteism (countable and uncountable, plural asteisms)

plural asteisms

  1. countableuncountablePolite irony; a genteel and ingenious manner of deriding another.

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
backhanded compliment

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἀστεῖος“of the town; urbane”
  2. Englishasteism

Ultimately from Ancient Greek ἀστεῖος (asteîos, “of the town; urbane”), from ἄστυ (ástu, “town”). Compare Greek αστεϊσμός (asteïsmós).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

misseat
Cite this entry
APA

asteism. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asteism

MLA

“asteism.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asteism. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “asteism,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/asteism.

Source: asteism on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.