A figure of speech that uses understatement to emphasize a point by stating the negative of its opposite. A form of ironic understatement, especially using a negative to express a positive.
From Greek 'litotes' meaning 'plainness, simplicity,' from 'litos' (plain, simple). This rhetorical device was identified and named by ancient Greek rhetoricians, entering English through Latin in the 17th century.
Litotes is like reverse psychology for language! Instead of saying 'That's amazing,' you say 'That's not bad' - but everyone knows you mean it's fantastic. Think 'not uncommon' (very common) or 'not insignificant' (very important). It's elegant understatement that actually emphasizes!
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