Balance & Opposition
Antimetabole
Repeating the same words in reverse order: A–B, then B–A. The reversal changes their relationship, often turning an initial claim back on itself.
"When the going gets tough, the tough get going."
Don't confuse it with Chiasmus. Every antimetabole is a chiasmus, but chiasmus can invert structure or sense without repeating the exact words.
Examples
We shape our tools; our tools shape us.
The same key words, “we/us” and “tools,” exchange subject and object positions.
Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as antimetabole.
Litotes 4 Polysyndeton 4 Anaphora 4 Antithesis 3 Asyndeton 3 Allusion 3 Parenthesis 3
The rest of the family
Antithesis Parallelism Isocolon Chiasmus Juxtaposition Oxymoron Paradox