Synecdoche
Naming a thing by one of its parts, or a part by the whole — all hands on deck, wheels for a car, boots on the ground.
Full definition of Synecdoche →:: COMPARE ::
SynecdochevsMetonymy
The short answer
Synecdoche substitutes a part for a whole or a whole for a part — the two things are the same thing at different scales. Metonymy substitutes something merely associated — a crown is not part of a monarch. That is the cleanest available line, and rhetoricians have argued about it for two thousand years anyway.
Side by side
| Aspect | Synecdoche | Metonymy |
|---|---|---|
| Relation | Part/whole | Association |
| Same entity | Yes | No |
| 'All hands' | This one | — |
| 'The White House said' | — | This one |
What each one means
Metonymy
Calling a thing by the name of something closely associated with it — the crown, the White House, the press, the bottle.
Full definition of Metonymy →