- A literary device is a technique or tool writers use to enhance their writing, convey meaning, or evoke emotion through stylistic and structural choices.
- Some of the most common literary devices are metaphors, which compare two things to convey a deeper meaning; symbolism, where objects represent abstract concepts; foreshadowing, which hints at future events; alliteration, the repetition of initial sounds for effect; and irony, which contrasts expectations with reality.
- Literary elements and literary techniques are both types of literary devices. Literary elements refer to big-picture aspects like theme and setting that permeate the entire work. Literary techniques refer to specific applications like euphemisms and allusions used within sentences.
- Recognizing literary devices improves your ability to appreciate the artistry of a text, understand its deeper meanings, and grasp the author’s motives.
- Use literary devices in your writing sparingly and naturally, choosing moments where they can occur organically to avoid overwhelming or distracting readers.
Whether you’re honing your writing skills or preparing for an important English exam, understanding literary devices and how to identify them is essential. These devices have been in use for ages, and as literature itself has developed, so have the devices; there are now entire books devoted to literary devices, techniques, and related terms. With so many literary devices, knowing how they’re used can get confusing.
To make things easier, we’ll cover some of the most common literary devices below. This comprehensive glossary with definitions and examples will help demonstrate how these devices are used effectively.
Table of contents
List of literary devices with definitions and examples
How to identify literary devices
How to use literary devices in your writing
What are literary devices?
“Literary devices” is a broad term for all the techniques, styles, and strategies an author uses to enhance their writing. With millennia of literature in hundreds of different languages, humankind has amassed many of these writing devices, which continue to evolve.
Literary devices can include general elements that appear repeatedly in a work of literature and the specific treatment of words that are only used once. A literary device is anything that can take bland writing and turn it into rich, engaging prose.
Literary devices vs. literary elements vs. literary techniques
Literary elements and literary techniques are both types of literary devices.
- Literary elements are “big-picture” literary devices that extend throughout the entire work, such as setting, theme, mood, and allegory.
- Literary techniques are the literary devices that deal with individual words, phrases, and sentences, such as euphemisms and alliteration.
Common literary devices
While there are many literary devices, here are some of the most common.
List of literary devices with definitions and examples
Here is an extensive list of literary devices in alphabetical order, including definitions and examples.
1 Allegory
Allegories are narratives that represent something else entirely, like a historical event or significant ideology, to illustrate a deeper meaning. Sometimes, the stories are entirely fabricated and only loosely tied to their source. Other times, the individual characters act as fictional stand-ins for real-life historical figures.
2 Alliteration
Alliteration is the literary technique of using a sequence of words that begin with the same letter or sound for a poetic or whimsical effect.
3 Allusion
An allusion is an indirect reference to a figure, event, place, or work of art outside the story. It is typically not explained or explicitly pointed out. While allusions often reference well-known or famous elements, they can also draw from obscure knowledge, which may go unnoticed by many readers.
4 Amplification
Amplification is the technique of embellishing a simple sentence with more details to increase its significance.
5 Anadiplosis
Anadiplosis is the repetition of the last word of one clause at the beginning of the next.
6 Anagram
An anagram is a word puzzle in which the author rearranges the letters in a word or phrase to create a new one.
7 Analogy
An analogy compares one thing to another to help explain a similarity that may not be obvious.
8 Anaphora
Anaphora repeats the same word or phrase at the beginning of successive clauses.
9 Anastrophe
Anastrophe is a literary device that involves the deliberate inversion of the typical word order in a sentence to create emphasis, rhythm, or a poetic effect.
10 Anecdote
An anecdote is a short, personal story used to illustrate a point, often prefacing a persuasive essay or speech.
11 Antagonist
The antagonist is the character or force opposing the protagonist.
12 Anthropomorphism
Anthropomorphism is when nonhuman things like animals or objects act human, exhibiting traits such as speech, thoughts, complex emotions, and sometimes even wearing clothes and standing upright.
13 Antimetabole
Antimetabole is the repetition of words in reverse order in successive clauses.
14 Antithesis
Antithesis places two contrasting and polarized sentiments next to each other to accent both.
15 Aphorism
An aphorism is a concise statement of a principle or truth.
16 Apostrophe
Apostrophe is addressing an absent or imaginary person or a personified abstraction.
17 Archetype
Archetypes are universal symbols, themes, or characters.
18 Assonance
Assonance is the repetition of vowel sounds in nearby words to create a musical or rhythmic effect, often enhancing mood or tone in writing.
19 Asyndeton
Asyndeton is the omission of conjunctions between parts of a sentence for dramatic effect.
20 Bathos
Bathos is a sudden change in tone from serious to trivial or ridiculous.
21 Bildungsroman
Bildungsroman is a literary genre that focuses on the psychological and moral growth of the protagonist from youth to adulthood, emphasizing their personal development and quest for identity.
22 Cacophony
Cacophony refers to harsh, discordant sounds in writing.
Beware the Jubjub bird, and shun
The frumious Bandersnatch!”
—“Jabberwocky,” by Lewis Carroll
23 Catharsis
Catharsis is the emotional release or purification that a reader or audience experiences after a tragic event in literature.
24 Chiasmus
The literary technique of chiasmus takes two parallel clauses and inverts the word order of one to create a greater meaning.
25 Circumlocution
Circumlocution is when the writer deliberately uses excessive words and overcomplicated sentence structures to intentionally convolute their meaning. In other words, it means to write lengthily and confusingly on purpose.
26 Cliché
Cliché refers to an overused phrase, expression, or idea that has lost its originality or impact due to frequent repetition.
27 Cliffhanger
A cliffhanger ends a section or story at a suspenseful point.
28 Colloquialism
In formal writing, colloquialism uses casual and informal speech, including slang, to make dialogue seem more realistic and authentic. It often incorporates respelling words and adding apostrophes to communicate the pronunciation.
29 Conceit
Conceit is an extended metaphor or surprising comparison between two vastly different things, often used to create a striking or thought-provoking literary effect.
In John Donne’s poem “A Valediction: Forbidding Mourning,” he compares two lovers to the two legs of a compass:
“If they be two, they are two so
As stiff twin compasses are two;
Thy soul, the fixed foot, makes no show
To move, but doth, if the other do.”
30 Connotation
Connotation refers to the implied or emotional meaning of a word.
31 Consonance
Consonance is characterized by the repetition of consonant sounds in close proximity, typically at the end or middle of words, creating a harmonious or rhythmic effect.
32 Denotation
In contrast to connotation, denotation is a word’s literal or dictionary meaning.
33 Deus ex machina
Deus ex machina is a plot device where an unexpected and improbable event, character, or object suddenly resolves a seemingly unsolvable conflict or crisis in a story.
34 Diction
Diction refers to word choice and style.
35 Didactic
A didactic story conveys a moral, ethical, or educational message, often prioritizing instruction over entertainment in the text.
36 Dystopia
Dystopia depicts an imagined society characterized by oppression, suffering, or injustice. It is often used as a cautionary tale that highlights the dangers of political, social, or technological trends.
37 Elegy
Elegy refers to a poem or piece of writing expressing sorrow or lamentation, typically for someone who has died. It often reflects on themes of loss, mourning, and consolation.
Thomas Gray’s “Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard” is a classic example of elegy, where he reflects on the lives of the rural working class buried in the graveyard:
“The curfew tolls the knell of parting day,
The lowing herd wind slowly o’er the lea,
The ploughman homeward plods his weary way,
And leaves the world to darkness and to me.”
38 Ellipsis
Ellipsis involves omitting words or phrases in a sentence, indicated by three dots (…). This allows the reader to fill in the gaps or create a sense of mystery, hesitation, or trailing off in thought or dialogue.
39 Epigraph
An epigraph is an independent, pre-existing quotation that introduces a piece of work, typically with some thematic or symbolic relevance.
40 Epiphany
An epiphany is a character’s sudden realization or insight.
41 Epithet
An epithet uses a descriptive word or phrase, often accompanying or replacing a name, to highlight a characteristic or quality of a person, place, or thing.
42 Euphemism
A euphemism is a soft and inoffensive word or phrase that replaces a harsh, unpleasant, or hurtful one for the sake of sympathy or civility, such as “passed away” or “downsizing.”
43 Euphony
Euphony refers to the use of pleasant, harmonious, and melodious sounds in language to create a soothing effect. It is often achieved through soft consonants, vowels, and fluid rhythms.
44 Exposition
Exposition is used to provide background information about characters, settings, events, or other elements of a story, typically at the beginning, to help the audience understand the context.
In Romeo and Juliet, by William Shakespeare, the prologue provides exposition:
“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene,
From ancient grudge break to new mutiny,
Where civil blood makes civil hands unclean.”
45 Fable
A fable is a short, fictional story, often featuring animals as characters, designed to convey a moral lesson or universal truth.
46 Farce
Farce uses exaggerated, absurd, or improbable situations, physical humor, and over-the-top characters to create comedy and entertain the audience.
47 Flashback
A flashback interrupts the chronological sequence to depict earlier events.
48 Flashforward
A flashforward presents events that will occur in the future.
49 Foil
A foil is a character who contrasts with another character to highlight specific traits.
50 Foreshadowing
Foreshadowing is the technique of hinting at future events in a story using subtle parallels, usually to generate more suspense or engage the reader’s curiosity.
51 Frame story
A frame story is a narrative within another narrative.
52 Genre
Genre categorizes a work of literature into a specific type or style based on its content, form, or purpose, such as fiction, poetry, and drama, or specific subcategories like romance or science fiction.
53 Homophone
A homophone is when two or more words have the same pronunciation but different meanings, spellings, or both, often used for wordplay or emphasis.
54 Hubris
Hubris is excessive pride or self-confidence that leads to a character’s downfall.
55 Hyperbole
Hyperbole uses exaggeration to add more power to words, often to an unrealistic or unlikely degree.
56 Hypophora
Hypophora is when a writer or speaker raises a rhetorical question and then immediately answers it. It is often used to guide the audience, emphasize a point, or create a conversational tone.
57 Idyll
An idyll depicts a scene of rural life, peace, and simplicity, often idealizing the beauty and tranquility of nature.
58 Imagery
Imagery refers to writing that plays to the reader’s senses with descriptive word choice to create a more vivid and realistic recreation of the scene in their mind.
59 In medias res
In medias res is when a narrative begins in the middle of the action rather than at the chronological start, engaging the audience immediately by skipping the exposition and later revealing prior events.
60 Irony
Irony is when the intended meaning of words or events contrasts with their literal or expected meaning. It adds depth, humor, or poignancy by highlighting the difference between appearances and reality.
61 Juxtaposition
Juxtaposition is when two or more elements are placed side by side or in close proximity to each other, often to emphasize their differences, similarities, or a particular effect. While juxtaposition frequently involves contrasting ideas, images, or concepts to create tension or highlight differences, it is not limited to contrasts. Any two things placed together are in juxtaposition, whether they are opposing, complementary, or neutral.
62 Litotes
Litotes creates a sense of understatement by negating the opposite.
63 Malapropism
Malapropism is the humorous misuse of a word by confusing it with a similar-sounding one.
64 Metalepsis
Metalepsis involves a complex or indirect reference. It often combines multiple layers of meaning or links distant ideas to create an effect of wit, depth, or surprise.
65 Metaphor
Similar to an analogy, a metaphor compares two different things to show their similarities by insisting that they’re the same.
“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts …”
—William Shakespeare, As You Like It
66 Metonymy
Metonymy is a figure of speech replacing the name of something with a related concept.
67 Mood
A story’s mood is the emotional response the author is targeting. A writer sets the mood not just with the plot and characters but also with the tone and the aspects they choose to describe.
68 Motif
A motif is a recurring element in a story that holds some symbolic or conceptual meaning. It’s closely related to theme, but motifs are specific objects or events, while themes are abstract ideas.
69 Onomatopoeia
The literary term onomatopoeia refers to words that represent sounds, with pronunciations similar to those sounds.
70 Oxymoron
An oxymoron combines two contradictory words to give them a deeper and more poetic meaning.
71 Palindrome
A palindrome is a word, phrase, or sequence that reads the same backward as forward.
72 Parable
A parable is a short, simple story, typically with human characters, to convey a moral or spiritual lesson.
73 Paradox
Similar to an oxymoron, a paradox combines two contradictory ideas in a way that, although illogical, still makes sense.
74 Parallelism
Parallelism uses similar grammatical structures, words, or phrases in a sequence to create rhythm, balance, and emphasis in writing.
75 Parody
Parody imitates another work for humorous or satirical effect.
76 Pathetic fallacy
Pathetic fallacy is when human emotions or traits are attributed to nature, objects, or animals, often to reflect the mood or atmosphere of a scene.
77 Pathos
Pathos appeals to the audience’s emotions, evoking feelings of pity, sympathy, sorrow, or compassion to create a connection with the narrative or argument.
78 Personification
Personification is when an author metaphorically attributes human characteristics to nonhuman things like the weather or inanimate objects. Personification is strictly figurative, whereas anthropomorphism posits that those things really do act like humans.
79 Polyptoton
A polyptoton involves the repetition of words derived from the same root but with different endings or forms, often used to emphasize an idea or create a rhythmic effect.
80 Polysyndeton
A polysyndeton involves the deliberate use of multiple conjunctions in close succession to create a sense of emphasis, rhythm, or overwhelming abundance.
81 Portmanteau
A portmanteau combines two words to form a new word with a hybrid meaning.
82 Prologue
A prologue is an introductory section in a work of literature. It typically provides background information, sets the stage for the story, or suggests themes and events to come.
In William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet, the prologue delivered by the Chorus begins:
“Two households, both alike in dignity,
In fair Verona, where we lay our scene…”
83 Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character in a story, often the one who drives the plot and faces the central conflict, eliciting the audience’s empathy or interest.
84 Puns
Puns are a type of comedic wordplay involving homophones (different words that are pronounced the same) or two separate meanings of the same word.
85 Red herring
A red herring is used to mislead or distract the audience from the main issue or plot point. It is often employed in mystery or suspense to create twists or false leads.
86 Rhetorical question
A rhetorical question is a question that is posed not to elicit an answer but to emphasize a point or provoke thought in the audience.
87 Sarcasm
Sarcasm uses irony to mock, ridicule, or convey contempt, often saying the opposite of what is meant to emphasize the intended meaning.
88 Satire
Satire is a style of writing that uses parody and exaggeration to criticize the faults of society or human nature.
89 Simile
Like metaphors, similes compare two things to highlight their similarities. However, the difference between similes and metaphors is that similes use like or as to soften the connection and explicitly show it’s just a comparison.
90 Soliloquy
A soliloquy is when a character speaks their inner thoughts aloud, usually while alone, to provide insight into their feelings, motivations, or plans.
91 Stream of consciousness
Stream of consciousness captures a character’s thoughts, feelings, and sensory experiences in a continuous, unstructured flow, mimicking the natural progression of the human mind.
92 Syllogism
Syllogism is when a conclusion is drawn from two premises, one general (major premise) and one specific (minor premise). It is often used to present arguments or illustrate logic.
Major premise: All humans are mortal.
Minor premise: Socrates is human.
Conclusion: Therefore, Socrates is mortal.
93 Symbolism
Closely related to motifs, symbolism occurs when objects, characters, actions, or other recurring elements take on a deeper, more profound meaning or represent an abstract concept.
94 Syntax
Syntax refers to the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language, affecting tone, pace, and emphasis in writing.
95 Tautology
Tautology involves the repetitive use of words or phrases with similar, even identical, meanings, often for emphasis, clarity, or stylistic effect.
96 Theme
A theme is a creative work’s main idea or underlying meaning. It’s the central, unifying element of the narrative that communicates statements about life, society, humanity, and the world.
97 Tone
Tone refers to the language and word choice an author uses with their subject matter, like a playful tone when describing children playing or a hostile tone when describing the emergence of a villain. If you’re confused about tone versus mood, tone refers mainly to individual aspects and details, while mood refers to the emotional attitude of the entire piece of work.
98 Tragic flaw
A tragic flaw refers to a character trait—typically a weakness or defect—that leads to the protagonist’s downfall in a tragedy.
99 Tricolon
A tricolon involves a series of three parallel words, phrases, or clauses. It is often used to create a rhythmic, memorable, and impactful effect.
100 Ubi sunt
Ubi sunt (a Latin phrase that means “where are”) involves reflective or rhetorical questions about the transience of life, the passage of time, or the loss of once-cherished things. It often evokes a sense of nostalgia or lamentation.
101 Understatement
Understatement is when a writer or speaker intentionally presents a situation, fact, or idea as less significant or severe than it actually is, often for ironic or humorous effect.
102 Utopia
Utopia is used to describe an imagined perfect society or community in which political, social, and moral ideals are fully realized. It often serves as a critique of current societal flaws or as a thought experiment.
103 Verisimilitude
Verisimilitude refers to the appearance of truth or realism in a work. It makes events, characters, or settings seem believable and authentic to the audience.
104 Vernacular
Vernacular refers to the everyday language or dialect spoken by ordinary people in a specific region or community. It is often employed to create authenticity or realism in dialogue and narration.
105 Zeugma
Zeugma is when a single word, usually a verb or adjective, is applied to two or more nouns in a way that blends grammatically or logically different ideas It often creates a dramatic, witty, or humorous effect.
How to identify literary devices
You don’t necessarily need to understand literary devices to enjoy a good book. Specific devices like personification, onomatopoeia, and anthropomorphism are still entertaining to read, even if you don’t know them by their proper name.
However, identifying literary devices enables you to reflect on the artistry of a piece of writing and understand the author’s motives. The more literary devices you recognize, the more you comprehend the writing. Recognizing literary devices helps you notice nuances and piece together a more significant meaning you might have missed otherwise.
To identify literary devices, it’s best to familiarize yourself with as many as you can. Your first step is knowing what to look for; from there, it just takes practice by reading different works and styles. With some experience, you’ll start to spot literary devices instinctively without disrupting your enjoyment or focus while reading.
How to use literary devices in your writing
The most important tip when using literary devices in your creative writing is to use them naturally. Too many literary devices stacked upon each other can get distracting, so it’s best to use them only sparingly and at the most impactful moments.
Novice writers often shoehorn literary devices into their writing to make them seem like better authors. The truth is that misusing literary devices stands out more than using them correctly. Wait for when a literary device can be used organically instead of forcing them where they don’t belong.
Literary devices FAQs
What is a literary device?
A literary device is a technique or tool writers use to enhance their writing, convey meaning, and evoke emotion through stylistic and structural choices.
What are some of the most common literary devices?
Some of the most common literary devices include:
- Metaphor: Comparing two things to highlight their similarities
- Symbolism: Using objects or actions to represent abstract ideas
- Foreshadowing: Hinting at events that will occur later in the story
- Alliteration: Repetition of initial consonant sounds for effect
- Irony: Creating a contrast between expectations and reality
What’s the difference between literary elements and literary techniques?
Literary elements are overarching features like theme and setting that are present throughout a work. Literary techniques, such as euphemisms or alliteration, are specific tools used within sentences or smaller sections of the text.
Why is it important to recognize literary devices?
Recognizing literary devices enriches the reading experience by allowing readers to uncover deeper meanings in the text and understand the author’s motives.
How can I use literary devices effectively in my writing?
Use literary devices sparingly and organically, selecting moments where they naturally enhance the writing rather than forcing them, as overuse can overwhelm readers and distract from the story.
