Litotes

In rhetoric, litotes (, US: ) is a figure of speech and form of irony to emphasize a point by stating a negative to affirm a positive. In speech, litotes may depend on intonation and emphasis; for example, the phrase "not bad" can be intonated differently so as to mean either "mediocre" or "excellent". The interpretation of negation may also depend on context, including cultural context. Litotes can be used euphemistically to diminish the harshness of an observation: "He isn't the cleanest person I know" could be used to indicate that someone is a messy person. A form of understatement, litotes is always deliberate with the intention of emphasis, often using double negatives for effect. Litotes is also known classically as antenantiosis or moderatour. The use of litotes is common in many languages and dialects. It is a feature of Old English poetry and of the Icelandic sagas and is a means of much stoical restraint.