Antonomasia
Antonomasia is a figure of speech in which an epithet or the name of a position is substituted for a proper name. For example, ‘the Bard’ (Shakespeare), a Casanova’ (a womanizer), and ‘a Hitler’ (a tyrant) [Cuddon, p. 45-46].
Antonomasia is a speech device that substitutes a proper name with an epithet, the official address, or other indirect description. The second definition of antonomasia is a figure of speech that applies a famous proper name to a person with some associated quality [Baldick, p. 15].
Antonomasia is the application of a proper name to designate a class member; the use of an epithet or title in place of a proper name [Merriam-Webster Online Dictionary].
Antonomasia is a figure of speech in which a defining word or phrase substitutes a person’s proper name. The practice of giving a character a proper name that defines or suggests a supreme quality of that character in fiction is also called antonomasia. The word antonomasía (from Greek) means ‘to call by a new name.’ [Britannica Online Encyclopedia].
⠀ Antonomasia. Britannica Online Encyclopedia. Retrieved from: [https://www.britannica.com/art/antonomasia].
⠀ Chris Baldick. (2015). The Oxford Dictionary of Literary Terms. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
⠀ Cuddon J.A. (2013). A Dictionary of Literary Terms and Literary Theory. Hoboken, New Jersey: Wiley-Blackwell.