How to Write an Antonomasia
Antonomasia emphasizes certain characteristics of a person or thing by creating an epithet which replaces the person’s real name. In order to use antonomasia,
- Think of what you want to emphasize about this person or thing.
- Create a nickname which reflects this characteristic
Here are a few examples:
1. Consider a friend who is a fantastic soccer player for how he defends the field. Other players fall down around him and never pass him.
Normal sentence:
“Kevin is so great at soccer. He stops everyone and no one can pass him!”
This is true, but it is not very exciting or compelling. Use antonomasia to give him an exciting nickname.
Sentence with Antonomasia:
“Look! It’s The Wall! The Wall stops everyone. No one can pass The Wall!”
Kevin’s strong defense skills are emphasized by the antonomasia “The Wall.”
2. Now imagine you are going to a place you love to go to with your friends. It’s fun, it’s in a secret place, and it’s deep in the woods.
Normal sentence:
“Let’s go to that spot behind the woods and hang out. It will be so much fun!”
Sentence with Antonomasia:
“Let’s go to Narnia and hang out. It will be so much fun!”
By providing this place with a more exciting, secret, and magical name, you have given it a name that better-suits it than ‘that spot behind the woods.’
When to Use Antonomasia
Antonomasia may be used to compliment someone’s strong qualities or to draw attention to their profession. Antonomasia also may be used for a fun nickname. Antonomasia is used in everyday speech, literature, movies, music, and advertising. These days, it is not only kings and queens who have these special names, but also celebrities and places, such as New York City as The Big Apple. Because antonomasia is a rhetorical device, it is confined to the previously mentioned areas, and would not be considered appropriate in scientific or technical writing where proper names must always be used.