Gramanich Štromajer, Richard2025-10-072025-10-0720251338-0583https://doi.org/10.24040/nfr.2025.17.1.49-61https://repo.umb.sk/handle/123456789/883In: NOVÁ FILOLOGICKÁ REVUE : časopis o súčasnej lingvistike, literárnej vede, translatológii a kulturológii. Banská Bystrica : Univerzita Mateja Bela, 2025. ISSN 1338-0583. Roč. 17, č. 1 (2025), s. 49-61.The paper offers a comparative analysis of the terms understatement and meiosis, highlighting their conceptual similarities and unique treatment in academic literature. Both involve a decrease in propositional meaning; however, their interpretation differs among various theoretical frameworks. Understatement is commonly regarded as a pragmatic phenomenon reliant on context, while meiosis is typically characterised as a more emphatic and rhetorically significant form of minimisation. By incorporating various definitions, cultural viewpoints, and current scholarly analyses, the article uncovers the ambiguous terminology surrounding these concepts. It suggests that a more accurate distinction, based on the extent of minimisation, rhetorical purpose, and contextual usage, is essential for a better understanding of their functions within the classification of rhetorical, stylistic, and literary devices.eninfo:eu-repo/semantics/openAccesspodhodnotenieunderstatementmeiózameiosisvýrokový význampropositional meaningslovné zvratykomparatívna analýzacomparative analysisArticle