Synecdoche — Definition and Examples
What is synecdoche?
Synecdoche is a type of figurative language where a part of something represents the whole thing (microcosm) or where the whole thing represents the part (macrocosm). With a synecdoche the part and whole have a literal connection.
The primary forms of synecdoche include microcosm and macrocosm:
Part to represent the whole (microcosm): Using a part to represent the entirety of a thing.
He was given a nice set of wheels for his birthday.
"Wheels" represent an entire car.
Whole to represent a part (macrocosm): Using the entirety of something to represent an individual part.
Do you want to go to the movies this weekend?
Although "movies" is plural, it only refers to a specific movie, not all of them.
Class to represent a whole: Using a specific item to represent an entire group of something.
Can you please pass me a Kleenex?
"Kleenex" is a specific brand, yet it is often used to represent tissues in general.
Material to name an object: Using the material of an object as its name.
Make sure you place the silverware on the table.
Silverware represents all cutlery, even if it is not made of silver.
Synecdoche vs. metonymy
Metonymy replaces a word or phrase with a related term that is not actually part of the object it represents; the part and whole of synecdoche have a literal connection.
Synecdoche: That's a nice set of wheels you have.
Metonym: That's a nice ride you have.
Wheels are literally attached to a car (examples of synecdoche), whereas "ride" identifies its function (example of metonymy).
Synecdoche examples
The following chart identifies the use of synecdoche where a part represents the whole:
| Part | Whole | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| boots | soldiers | We need boots on the ground by 0800 hours. |
| hand | entire person | Can you give me a hand, please? |
| head | people | We need a headcount for the meeting. |
| suits | businesspeople | He works harder than any of the suits in the company. |
| wheels | car | I bought a new set of wheels over the summer. |
The following chart identifies the use of synecdoche where the whole represents a part:
| Whole | Part | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles | basketball team | Los Angeles beat New York City last night. |
| alumni | a few graduates (not all) | The school's alumni introduced the speaker. |
| police | individual officers (vs. entire force) | The police ticketed speedy drivers. |
| White House | individuals at the White House | The White House held a press briefing. |
| world | specific personal struggles | I feel like the world is out to get me. |
The following chart identifies the use of synecdoche where a class represents the whole group:
| Class | Group | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| America | United States | My family lives in America. |
| Band-Aid | bandage | Do you have a Band-Aid for this cut? |
| Coke | soda | Can you buy me a bottle of Coke? |
The following chart identifies the use of synecdoche where a material names an object:
| Material | Object | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|
| ivories | piano keys | She learned to tickle the ivories at a young age. |
| paper | newspaper | Do you have the Sunday paper? |
| plastic | credit card | We take cash and plastic. |
The following quotes from major literary works employ the use of synecdoche:
Hamlet by William Shakespeare:
Now, Hamlet, hear.
‘Tis given out that, sleeping in my orchard,
A serpent stung me. So the whole ear of Denmark
Is by a forged process of my death
Rankly abused. But know, thou noble youth,
The serpent that did sting thy father’s life
Now wears his crown.
Part: whole ear
Whole: population of Denmark
"The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" by T.S. Eliot:
There will be time, there will be time
To prepare a face to meet the faces that you meet.
Part: face
Whole: entire person
Doctor Faustus by Christopher Marlowe:
Was this the face that launched a thousand ships
And burned the topless towers of Ilium?
Part: face; a thousand ships; towers of Ilium
Whole: Helen of Troy; Greece's military; city of Troy