TW Dictionary logoTW Dictionaryby Toppers' Wisdom

prolepsis

/prəʊˈlepsɪs/noun

उच्चारण प्रोलेप्सिस

(अलंकार-शास्त्र में) पूर्वपक्ष-खंडन, आपत्ति उठने से पहले ही उसका उत्तर दे देना

Advanced wordPYP · asked 1 time

Asked in previous papers

as one-word substitution

SSC Selection Post Phase 13 2025
nounprolepses
  1. 1

    [C/U] technical

    (in rhetoric) the act of answering an objection before your opponent has a chance to raise it

    (अलंकार-शास्त्र में) पूर्वपक्ष-खंडन, आपत्ति उठने से पहले ही उसका उत्तर दे देना

    • The speaker used prolepsis, saying 'Some will call this plan too costly, but…'.
    • By answering the criticism in advance, the lawyer used prolepsis to weaken the other side.
    • The lawyer used prolepsis to deal with the judge's likely doubts before they were voiced.
    + 2 more examples
    • In his essay, he used prolepsis to answer possible criticism in advance.
    • Prolepsis is a useful tool in debates because it weakens the opponent's reply.
  2. 2

    [C/U] technical

    the use of a word to describe something as if it has already happened or become true, when it has not yet

    किसी भावी बात को पहले ही घटित मानकर वर्णन करना

    • 'He is a dead man' said of someone about to be killed is an example of prolepsis.
    • When a writer says 'the doomed ship' before it sinks, he is using prolepsis.
    • Calling a child 'the future doctor' in a story can be an example of prolepsis.
    + 2 more examples
    • The poet's phrase 'the dead soldier' before the battle is prolepsis.
    • Students were asked to find an example of prolepsis in the passage.
  3. 3

    [C/U] technical

    (in a story or film) a scene that shows events from the future; a flash forward

    (कहानी या फ़िल्म में) आगे घटने वाली घटना का पहले ही दिखाया जाना, फ्लैश-फ़ॉरवर्ड

    • The novel opens with a prolepsis showing the hero's death.
    • The film uses a prolepsis in its first scene, showing the final chase.
    • The series begins with a prolepsis showing the town after the flood.
    + 2 more examples
    • A prolepsis in the first chapter reveals the final outcome of the trial.
    • The director used prolepsis to show the hero as an old man.

    Synonyms flash forward

    Opposite flashback analepsis

◇Word family
proleptic adjective