noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Definitions

Noun

1. 1
   A misuse of a word; an application of a term to something which it does not properly denote. countable, uncountable
2. 2
   strained or paradoxical use of words either in error (as ‘blatant’ to mean ‘flagrant’) or deliberately (as in a mixed metaphor: ‘blind mouths’) wordnet
3. 3
   A misuse of a word; an application of a term to something which it does not properly denote.; Such a misuse involving some similarity of sound between the misused word and the appropriate word. countable, especially, often, uncountable
4. 4
   A misapplication or overextension of a figurative or analogical description; a wrongly applied metaphor or trope. countable, rhetoric, uncountable

   "A Catachresis terms abused receives, And epithets and attributes improper gives."

Synonyms

All synonyms

abuseabusioabusiobulldistortionerror

Example

More examples

"A Catachresis terms abused receives, And epithets and attributes improper gives."

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin catachrēsis, borrowed from Ancient Greek κατάχρησις (katákhrēsis, “misuse (of a word)”).

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.