Rhetoric & FiguresAdvanced
Antimetabole
Words repeat in reverse order, making exact verbal mirror.
Principle
Exact reversal turns syntax into argument.
Takeaways
- It is a stricter subtype of chiasmus.
- The reversal should reveal reciprocity, irony, or moral inversion.
- Because it is highly quotable, it can easily sound over-polished.
Overview
Antimetabole repeats the same words in reverse order. Where chiasmus can mirror ideas or structures, antimetabole makes the mirror verbal and exact.
Examples
- She needed power to keep peace, and peace to keep power.
- He did not own the house; the house owned him.