Metaphor & Figuration
Synecdoche
Using a part to stand for a whole, or a whole for a part. Calling workers “hands,” for example, identifies them through their labor.
“We need more hands”: hands, a part of the workers, stand for the whole people.
Don't confuse it with Metonymy. A subtype of metonymy: synecdoche requires the part/whole relation specifically, not just any association.
Examples
We need more hands to finish the harvest.
“Hands,” a body part, stands for whole workers.
Often used alongside this device
Explore devices that often appear in the same passages as synecdoche.
Passive Voice 9 Asyndeton 9 Anaphora 9 Personification 6 Antithesis 5 Metaphor 5 Hyperbole 5 Oxymoron 5
The rest of the family
Metaphor Simile Catachresis Metonymy Personification Prosopopoeia Pathetic Fallacy Transferred Epithet / Hypallage Metalepsis Symbol Allusion Mythopoesis