The key difference between metonymy and synecdoche is that the metonymy refers to a thing by the names of concepts or items related to it while the synecdoche uses a part of something to represent the whole of it or whole of something to represent a part of something.
Calling a car, ‘wheels’ is an example of synecdoche while using the word ‘crown’ to refer to power or authority is an example of metonymy. Most people often tend to confuse the two literary devices since both of them use a word or a phrase to represent something else. Some also consider metonymy as a form of synecdoche.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Metonymy
3. What is Synecdoche
4. Similarities Between Metonymy and Synecdoche
5. Side by Side Comparison – Metonymy vs Synecdoche in Tabular Form
6. Summary
What is Metonymy?
Metonymy is a literary device where something is referred to by the names of things or concepts related to it. In other words, this literary device involves replacing the name of a thing with something that is closely connected to it. For example, using the word ‘crown’ to refer to power or authority. Calling the American film industry Hollywood is another example of metonymy.
Figure 01: Crown may refer to Power
Some other examples of metonymy include,
White House – US President
Press – Journalists
Bench – Court, Judge
Head – Intelligence
Altar/aisle – Marriage
Wall Street – American financial market
What is Synecdoche?
A synecdoche is a literary device that uses a part of something to represent the whole of it or whole of something to represent a part of something. For example, if someone says ‘I hired two new hands’, he is not just referring to hands, but for new helpers. Here, the word ‘hands’ represent helpers. Another well- known example we use in our daily life is the word ‘wheels’. If someone says, ‘nice wheels’, it’s automatically understood that he or she is referring to the whole vehicle, not just the wheels.
Figure o2: Heads can refer to the Number of Cattle when Counting
Some Examples:
Heads – Counting the number of cattle or humans
Bread – Food or money
Sails – Ship
Glasses – Spectacles
Dish – Food
There are different forms of synecdoches. What we discussed above is mainly parts of something that describe the whole of it. But there are also instances where one uses the whole to represent a part of something. For example, look at the sentence “Police stopped me on the way”. Here, police only represent only one or two officers, not the entire police force.
What is the Similarity Between Metonymy and Synecdoche?
- Both metonymy and synecdoche use a word or a phrase to represent something else.
What is the Difference Between Metonymy and Synecdoche?
Synecdoche refers to a thing by the name of one of its parts while metonymy refers to a thing by something else closely connected to it. This is the main difference between metonymy and synecdoche. Furthermore, calling a car ‘wheels’ is an example of synecdoche while using the word ‘crown’ to refer to power or authority is an example of metonymy.
Summary – Metonymy vs Synecdoche
Although these two literary devices are similar to each other, they are not the same. The fundamental difference between metonymy and synecdoche is that synecdoche refers to a thing by the name of one of its part while metonymy refers to a thing by something else closely connected to it.
Reference:
1. “Metonymy.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2018. Available here
2. “Synecdoche.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 12 July 2018. Available here
Image Courtesy:
1.’15290152852’by Dennis Jarvis (CC BY-SA 2.0) via Flickr
2.’Cattle herd’By Keith Weller, USDA ARS (Public Domain) via Commons Wikimedia