AP® English Literature and Composition · Big Idea FIG
6.B Metonymy and Synecdoche
Metonymy replaces a thing with something closely associated with it, and synecdoche replaces a whole with one of its parts. Neither compares two unlike things, so neither is metaphor.
Metonymy works by proximity, not likeness. A crown cannot order anything, but the crown sits on the monarch's head and stands for the power that comes from that office, so 'the crown ordered the ships built' means the monarchy ordered it. The swap works because crown and authority are tied together in real life, by association, ownership, or function, not because they resemble each other.
Synecdoche works by membership. It names a part of something and counts on the reader to assemble the whole from that part. 'They wanted hands for the harvest' names the body part that does the labor, but the farm needs whole people, not detached hands, and the reader fills in the rest automatically. The part is literally attached to the whole it represents, which is exactly what makes it different from metaphor, where two separate, unlike things get compared.
This is why 'the pen is mightier than the sword' is metonymy twice over: pen stands for writing and the ideas writing spreads, sword stands for military force, and the sentence claims that persuasion outlasts violence. Within the figurative language toolkit, metonymy and synecdoche sit next to metaphor and simile as the connection-based substitutions, while metaphor and simile stay comparison-based. Knowing which logic a swap runs on, connection or comparison, is what lets you name the figure correctly instead of calling everything a metaphor.
Key terms
- Metonymy
- A figure that replaces a thing with something closely associated with it, like crown for monarchy.
- Synecdoche
- A figure that names a part of something to stand for the whole, like hands for workers.
- Metaphor
- A figure that compares two unlike things based on shared qualities, not physical connection.
- Association
- A real-world link, such as ownership or function, that metonymy relies on instead of resemblance.
Watch it explained
- How it worksHow does metonymy swap a thing for something closely tied to it?
- How it worksHow does synecdoche name one part and make a reader assemble the whole?
- Worked exampleWalk me through what 'the pen is mightier than the sword' substitutes for what.
- Common mistakeWhy isn't metonymy a kind of metaphor?
- Ties togetherHow do metonymy and synecdoche shift meaning without comparing two unlike things?
Check yourself
End of topic.