Chiasmus
- “what is chiasmus”
- “chiasmus vs antimetabole”
- “chiasmus examples”
- “ask not what your country can do for you”
01 · Side by side
Side by side
Comparison sheet
| Aspect | Chiasmus | Antimetabole |
|---|---|---|
| Repeats words | Not required | Required |
| Reverses structure | Yes | Yes |
| Which is broader | This one | A subtype |
| Most famous examples | — | These |
02 · Which one you meant
Which one did you mean?
In shortReaders who land here meaning Chiasmus rather than Antimetabole are usually searching for phrases like “what is chiasmus”, “chiasmus vs antimetabole”, “chiasmus examples”.
03 · The mix-up
Where the confusion comes from
The mix-up“Chiasmus means repeating the same words in reverse order.”
What's true
That is ANTIMETABOLE, a subtype. Chiasmus is the broader structural inversion and does not require the same words at all — Samuel Johnson's 'by day the frolic, and the dance by night' (The Vanity of Human Wishes, 1749) is chiasmus with no repeated vocabulary. Most famous 'chiasmus' examples are in fact antimetabole.
04 · Read either one