conceit
Say it: kun-SEET /kənˈsiːt/ · noun
What “conceit” means
A surprising comparison or idea developed throughout a work.
More precisely: An elaborate, surprising metaphor or central idea running through a work.
Example: “The novel's conceit is that every character is a version of the narrator.”
When to use it
In literary discussion, when one unusual comparison or central idea shapes a whole poem, story or other work.
It can also mean
In everyday speech, conceit also means thinking far too highly of yourself.
Similar words
extended metaphor, device, premise
Quick check
Throughout a poem, a marriage becomes a sailing boat, with trust as its hull and arguments as storms. What's this extended idea?
a cliché or a conceit?
Show the answer
a conceit
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