antiphrasis Meaning, Definition & Usage

  1. noun the use of a word in a sense opposite to its normal sense (especially in irony)

WordNet


An*tiph"ra*sis noun
Etymology
L., fr. Gr. , fr. to express by antithesis or negation.
Definitions
  1. (Rhet.) The use of words in a sense opposite to their proper meaning; as when a court of justice is called a court of vengeance.

Webster 1913