:: COMPARE ::
The short answer
Handbooks use these interchangeably as often as they distinguish them, and when they do distinguish, they disagree about how. Any source stating the difference with total confidence is reporting one tradition as though it were the only one.
Side by side
| Aspect | Apophasis | Paralipsis |
|---|---|---|
| Core sense | Speaking by denying | Passing over |
| Agreed distinction | No | No |
| Used as synonyms | Frequently | Frequently |
| Effect | Identical | Identical |
What each one means
Saying something by declaring that you will not say it — I won't mention his convictions, I'm not going to bring up what happened last year. In theology the same word names something quite different: negative theology, approaching God only through what he is not.
Full definition of Apophasis →The contrast above sets out how Paralipsis differs from Apophasis on the points that actually matter.