A form of understatement that affirms something by denying its opposite, like saying 'not bad' when you mean 'really good.'
Litotes is a rhetorical device where you say something positive by negating its negative. Instead of 'She was brilliant,' you write 'She was not unintelligent.' Instead of 'The battle was terrifying,' you write 'The battle was no small affair.' It sounds fancy, but you probably use litotes every day without realizing it. 'Not bad,' 'not unlike,' 'no small feat' - these are all litotes in action. The effect is a kind of restrained coolness that says more by saying less.
Litotes gives you a tool for emotional restraint in your writing. When a character or narrator uses litotes, it communicates that they're the type to hold back rather than gush - and that restraint can make the moments when they do speak directly feel much more powerful. It's especially useful for writing dry humor, British-inflected voices, or characters who are emotionally guarded.
Old English poetry is packed with litotes. The narrator describes a devastating sword as 'not useless to the warrior' - a massive understatement that adds weight through restraint.
Austen's narrator constantly uses litotes for comic effect, describing things as 'not wholly without merit' or characters as 'not unpleasing.'
Stevens the butler is a master of litotes - his refusal to state anything directly becomes the novel's central emotional engine.
Litotes works best as a contrast. Use it sparingly so readers feel the restraint against moments of directness.
In action scenes or moments of high emotion, direct language often hits harder. Save litotes for reflective or ironic passages.
'She wasn't happy' is just negation. 'She was not displeased' is litotes - it affirms a positive by denying the negative.
Rewrite these five sentences using litotes: 'She was furious.' 'The test was extremely difficult.' 'He loved her deeply.' 'The city was enormous.' 'The meal was delicious.' Then write a short paragraph from the perspective of a character who habitually speaks in litotes, and notice how it shapes their personality on the page.