antimetabole

Antimetabole is a figure of speech in which words or phrases are repeated in reverse grammatical order. The term comes from the Greek anti, meaning opposite, and metabole, meaning turning. It is a specialized form of chiasmus, a broader figure in which parallel clauses are arranged in a crisscross order; in antimetabole the same words are repeated in reverse order, creating symmetry and emphasis.

The defining pattern involves repeating the same terms in reverse order, often producing a memorable or witty effect. Common examples include “Eat to live, not live to eat,” “I know what I like, and I like what I know,” and “When the going gets tough, the tough get going.” These constructions rely on reversing word order to heighten contrast and impact.

Antimetabole is frequently used in rhetoric, literature, political speech, and advertising to enhance persuasion through rhythm and contrast. It appears in ancient Greek and Latin prose and continues to appear in modern English writing. The device is closely related to chiasmus and is sometimes treated as a subset or overlapping form; the distinction rests on the repetition of exact words in reverse order versus reversing terms or concepts more loosely.

See also: chiasmus, parallelism, rhetorical device.