epanorthosis

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noun

A rhetorical device or element in which a speaker or writer retracts a word that has been spoken and substitutes a stronger or more suitable word; often done for emphasis or sarcasm.

OriginAncient Greek ἐπανόρθωσις →
Scrabble 17
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Meanings

nounepanorthosis (plural epanorthoses)

plural epanorthoses

  1. rhetoricA rhetorical device or element in which a speaker or writer retracts a word that has been spoken and substitutes a stronger or more suitable word; often done for emphasis or sarcasm.

    Epanorthosis oft a phrase corrects, And feeble words, for stronger terms, rejects.

    1835, L[arret] Langley, “[Rhetorical Figures.] Epanorthosis.”, in A Manual of the Figures of Rhetoric, […], Doncaster, South Yorkshire: […] C. White, […], →OCLC, page 61

Synonyms & antonyms

Also see
correctiometanoia

Origin

  1. Ancient Greekἐπανόρθωσις“correction”
  2. Englishepanorthosis

From Ancient Greek ἐπανόρθωσις (epanórthōsis, “correction”).

More words from Ancient Greek

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

epanorthosis. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epanorthosis

MLA

“epanorthosis.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epanorthosis. Accessed November 4, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “epanorthosis,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/epanorthosis.

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