Literary Terms Definitions Master List

Iambic Pentameter— A rhythm pattern with five units, or feet, each of which has an unstressed syllable followed by a stressed syllable

Metaphor—A figure of speech that compares or equates two or more things that have something in common

Simile—A figure of speech using “like” or “as” to compare seemingly unlike things

Onomatopoeia—The use of a word or phrase that imitates or suggests the sound of what the word describes

Hyperbole—A figure of speech in which great exaggeration is used for emphasis or humorous effect

Oxymoron—A figure of speech that is a combination of seemingly contradictory words

Assonance—The repetition of similar vowel sounds within non-rhyming words, especially in a line of poetry

Personification—A figure of speech in which an animal, object, force of nature, or idea is given human qualities or characteristics

Line—In a poem, a word or a row of words that may or may not form a complete sentence

Stanza—In a poem, a group of lines forming a unit

Speaker—Similar to the narrator in a work of prose; the voice that communicates with the reader of a poem

Allusion—A reference in a work of literature to a character, place, or situation from another work of literature, art, music, or from history