Metaphor & Figuration
Metonymy
Referring to something by naming an associated thing: “the crown” for the monarchy or “the White House” for the administration. The connection is association rather than resemblance.
"The pen is mightier than the sword."
Don't confuse it with Metaphor, Synecdoche. Metaphor maps by resemblance; metonymy by association. Synecdoche is the special case where the substitute is a *part* of the whole.
Examples
The crown announced a new tax.
The royal object stands for the monarch or governing institution associated with it.
Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as metonymy.
Anaphora 10 Litotes 7 Parataxis 7 Personification 6 Polysyndeton 6 Asyndeton 5 Apposition / Appositive 5 Passive Voice 4
The rest of the family
Metaphor Simile Catachresis Synecdoche Personification Prosopopoeia Pathetic Fallacy Transferred Epithet / Hypallage Metalepsis Symbol Allusion Mythopoesis