Synecdochic (Adjective)
Meaning
Using the name of a part for that of the whole or the whole for the part; or the special for the general or the general for the special; or the material for the thing made of it; "to use `hand' for `worker' or `ten sail' for `ten ships' or `steel' for `sword' is to use a synecdochic figure of speech".
Classification
All adjective clusters.
Examples
- The city's wheels were in motion, meaning the entire municipal government was working efficiently.
- All hands on deck was the captain's order, requiring every sailor to report to the main deck immediately.
- The White House announced a new policy, using the name of the building to refer to the administration as a whole.
- The steel industry was booming, with the material being used to represent the entire sector.
- The Pentagon confirmed the news, using the name of the building to refer to the Department of Defense.