inversion
1
7.0
- noun
- /ɪnˈvɜrʒən/
- Literature
- "Like Carnival, the cataclysm of marriage occasions a temporary inversion of values; the private is publicized, the unspoken spoken, the degraded is raised up.
- inversion of word order
- systematic inversion
- contain inversions
Examples
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So it's kind of an inversion of classic socialist theory.
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And it is a strange inversion of reasoning.
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In many ways, this second awakening is an inversion of the book's opening scene.
Academic text (1999) -
Quite simply, what passes for free market economics is a complete inversion of classical economics.
Blog text (14) -
Orgosolo's bars could be seen as the symbolic inversion of its chapels.
Academic text (1999) -
Terms such as hyperbaton, anastrophe, and inversion are defined, explained, and illustrated solely on the basis of word order, not word proximity.
Academic text (2005) -
Both Gilio and Aretino noted a constant transgressive logic of inversion, a descent from high to low, operating in the work.
Academic text (2002) -
The poet used an inversion of common phrases to create unexpected meanings in his work.
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In her speech, she made an inversion of the usual arguments to highlight the flaws in the opposition's strategy.
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The author's clever inversion of the traditional storyline surprised the readers.
Synonyms
75
4.2
A change to the opposite direction or position, for example when wind turns
1
9.9
A change of the usual word order to make a word or phrase stand out
To reverse the order of matching words in two parts of a sentence to show contrast
Compounds
- Specialized
1
8.6
To find a matrix that, when multiplied by the original, makes the identity matrix
- Slur
1
9.9
An old word for someone who behaves in ways usually seen in the other sex
Surface Forms
Morphology
inversion = invert (semi-transparent) = in + vert + ion
For this sense, 'inversion' is a regular noun formed from the verb 'invert' and means the act or result of inverting.
Etymology
Inversion comes from the Latin invertere, where in- means 'in' and vertere means 'to turn'. In language, an inversion is when the normal word order is 'turned around' to add emphasis or fit a rhythm.