Definition, Meaning & Synonyms
anastrophe
Noun
/əˈnæstrəfi/
Definition
Anastrophe is a rhetorical device involving the inversion of the natural order of words in a sentence.
Examples
- In the phrase ‘the night sky’, the anastrophe would be ‘sky the night.’
- ‘Sweet, she was,’ uses anastrophe to emphasize the word ‘sweet.’
- ‘Powerful you have become; the dark side I sense in you.’ This famous line from Yoda demonstrates anastrophe well.
Meaning
This technique is often used to create emphasis or a poetic effect, drawing attention to a particular phrase.
Synonyms
- Inversion
- Reversal
- Transposition
