Synecdoche and metonymy are both figures of speech that involve using one thing to represent another, but they differ in how they do this.
- Synecdoche uses a part to represent the whole or vice versa (e.g., “wheels” for a car).
- Metonymy uses something closely related to the thing it represents (e.g., “the White House” for the U.S. president or administration).
In short, synecdoche is about parts and wholes, while metonymy is about associations.
Discover the difference between a simple and compound sentence, trousers and pants.