Phrase guide

literary device

noun · 1 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

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1

noun

Meaning 1

An identifiable rule of thumb, convention, or structure that is employed in literature and storytelling.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: literature, media, publishing

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

7 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: recurs literari — convention in literature
  • Chinese Mandarin: 文學手段 /文学手段 (wénxué shǒuduàn) — convention in literature
  • Chinese Mandarin: 文學手法 /文学手法 (wénxué shǒufǎ) — convention in literature
  • Finnish: kirjallinen tehokeino — convention in literature
  • Galician: recurso literario — convention in literature
  • Hebrew: אמצעי ספרותי (emca'í sifrutí) — convention in literature
  • Russian: литерату́рный приём (literatúrnyj prijóm) — convention in literature