Skip to main content
Glite Dictionary
turn of expression

turn of expression

5.9
A special way of saying something when speaking or writing
  • noun
translation icon : giro de expresión
  • Her witty turn of expression made the story far more entertaining than the events themselves.

Examples

  • The author has a unique turn of expression in her novels.

  • He is admired for his unique turn of expression in political speeches.

  • That turn of expression captures exactly what I was trying to say.

  • Her turn of expression caught everyone's attention.

  • He is admired for his unique turn of expression in political speeches.

  • Her witty turn of expression made the story far more entertaining than the events themselves.

  • The author has a unique turn of expression in her novels.

Synonyms

expression
vsturn of expression
230 3.4

The way someone shows thoughts and feelings in speech and writing

is narrower, focusing on a distinctive way of wording rather than broad communication
phrasing
vsturn of expression
22 3.4

How words are chosen and put together to show meaning

is a specific characteristic way of wording rather than the general choice
turn of phrase
vsturn of expression
7 4.8

A clever way of saying something that people remember

is a characteristic way of wording rather than a familiar fixed wording
phraseology
vsturn of expression
  • Formal
5 8.2

The words and expressions someone uses to say ideas in a particular style

is about one distinctive way of wording rather than overall style patterns

Antonyms

ambiguity
57 6.3

A lack of clear meaning that allows people to understand it in different ways

vagueness
8 6.1

Lack of clear or exact meaning that makes things hard to understand

How Distinctive

turn of expression
5.9
phrasing
22 3.4
wording
57 3.4

Surface Forms

turn of expression singular
turns of expression plural

Morphology

turn + of + expression

The sense 'a distinctive way of phrasing' is directly built from 'turn' as 'a particular way or form' and 'expression' as 'a way of phrasing', so the overall meaning is compositionally derivable. This mirrors the common idiom 'turn of phrase' and similar constructions cross-linguistically, making it readily inferable to learners who know the constituent words.

Etymology

Turn of expression comes from thinking of a small personal turn or twist in how someone speaks, where expression is the words they use. So, it means a person's special 'way of saying' something.