What is the term for an abstract personification? (Examples below) (lemmy.world)

submitted 11 months ago by AnalogyAddict@lemmy.world to c/asklemmy@lemmy.world

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Something like "the Firm wants to hire you," "London doesn't like you," or "the Company has noticed your achievements."

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[-] lemmy_in@lemm.ee 38 points 11 months ago

The term is metonym. It is when you use a characteristic or associated attribute of a thing as the name of that thing. A classic example would be "the crown" when talking about the monarch or "The Whitehouse" when talking about the president.

[-] AnalogyAddict@lemmy.world 3 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

Oh, this is a great word. Thanks! I just went down a huge rabbit hole of synecdoche vs metonym, and I doubt I'll forget either term soon.

this post was submitted on 21 Dec 2023

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