WordValeepithet
a descriptive phrase attached to a name
In more detail
1. (noun) a word or phrase that describes a quality of a person or thing, often used repeatedly; 2. (noun) an insulting or offensive word or phrase used to describe someone
Examples
- 1. 'The wine-dark sea' is an epithet used by Homer to describe the ocean.
- 2. He was arrested for shouting racial epithets at the protesters.
How to use epithet
Epithet has two distinct uses: a neutral or literary sense referring to a descriptive word or phrase associated with someone (as in Homer's 'rosy-fingered Dawn'), and a negative sense meaning an insulting or abusive word. Context usually makes the intended meaning clear, though the negative sense has become increasingly dominant in modern usage. It is commonly used in discussions of literature, rhetoric, racism, and offensive language.
Common phrases
- racial epithet
- derogatory epithet
- colorful epithet
- hurled epithets at
- string of epithets
Synonyms
descriptor · appellation · designation · label · characterization
Word family
epithetic · epithetical
A common mistake
Learners sometimes assume epithet always has negative connotations, when in fact the original and still valid sense is simply any descriptive phrase attached to a person or thing, whether favorable or unfavorable.
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