Look up: litotes

1. 
   Litotes
   understatement, for intensification, by denying the contrary of the thing being affirmed. (Sometimes used synonymously with meiosis.)
   *A few unannounced quizzes are not inconceivable.
   *War is not healthy for children and other living things.
   *One nuclear bomb can ruin your whole day. (meiosis)
   Found on http://www.uky.edu/AS/Classics/rhetoric.
   
   
2. 
   Litotes
   Figure of speech employing ironic understatement which affirms something by denying its opposite e.g. 'Earth has not anything to show more fair' from Composed Upon Westminster Bridge by William Wordsworth.
   Found on http://www.poetsgraves.co.uk/glossary_of
   
   
3. 
   litotes
   [n] - understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary)
   Found on http://www.webdictionary.co.uk/definitio
   
   
4. 
   Litotes
   a deliberate understatement, often designed to create a comic or sarcastic effect. e.g. In the middle of a furious argument, a third party might enter and say, 'Did I detect a slight difference of opinion here?'
   Found on http://www.netcomuk.co.uk/~media/hrc_sty
   
   
5. 
   Litotes
   Li'to·tes (lī'to*tēz) noun [ New Latin , from Greek lito`ths , from lito`s plain, simple.] (Rhet.) A diminution or softening of statement for the sake of avoiding censure or increasing the effect by contrast with the moderation shown in the form of expression; as, ' a citizen of no mean city,' that is, of an illustrious city.
   Found on http://www.encyclo.co.uk/webster/L/51
   
   
6. 
   litotes
   meiosis noun understatement for rhetorical effect (especially when expressing an affirmative by negating its contrary); `saying `I was not a little upset` when you mean `I was very upset` is an example of litotes`
   Found on http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?
   
   
7. 
   Litotes
   In rhetoric, `litotes` is a figure of speech in which a speaker, rather than making a certain claim, denies its opposite; for example, rather than call a person attractive, one might say she's `not too bad to look at.` Litotes can be used to weaken a statement ` `It's `bad,` but it's O.K.` can be seen as self-contradictory, but one can weaken the first part using litotes, producing `It's `not good,` but it's O.K.,` which is a reasonable statement...
   Found on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litotes
   
   
8. 
   Litotes
   • (n.) A diminution or softening of statement for the sake of avoiding censure or increasing the effect by contrast with the moderation shown in the form of expression; as, ` a citizen of no mean city,` that is, of an illustrious city.
   Found on http://thinkexist.com/dictionary/meaning
   
   
9. 
   litotes
   a figure of speech, conscious understatement in which emphasis is achieved by negation; examples are the common expressions `not bad!` and `no mean ... [1 related articles]
   Found on http://www.britannica.com/eb/a-z/l/59
   
   
10. 
    litotes
    a deliberate understatement.
    Found on http://rpo.library.utoronto.ca/display_r
    
    
11. 
    litotes
    litotes (lī'tutēz") , figure of speech in which a statement is made by indicating the negative of its opposite, e.g., “not many” meaning “a few.” A form of irony, litotes is meant to emphasize by understating. Its opposite is hyperbole.
    Found on http://www.infoplease.com/ce6/ent/A08299