metonymisk

Metonymisk is the Swedish adjective equivalent to the English term "metonymic" and describes the use or quality of metonymy, a figure of speech and cognitive process in which one entity is referred to by the name of another that is closely associated with it. Metonymic expressions rely on contiguity, association, or causal and contextual relations rather than on resemblance, which distinguishes them from metaphors.

Common examples include using "the crown" for a monarchy, "the White House" for the U.S. executive administration, or "Wall Street" for the financial sector. In everyday language and journalism, metonymic phrasing condenses complex ideas into recognizable shorthand, making communication more economical and vivid.

In linguistics and cognitive science, metonymy is studied as a mechanism of meaning extension and semantic change: words shift to related senses through habitual association, producing polysemy and productive naming patterns. Conceptual metonymy, discussed by researchers such as George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, emphasizes how people structure thought and language around salient relations like part–whole, container–contained, or producer–product.

Literature and rhetoric use metonymic devices for characterization, emphasis, and stylistic effect. Metonymy is closely related to synecdoche (a part-for-whole relation) and often overlaps in practice. Understanding metonymic (metonymisk) usage aids in interpreting figurative language, discourse practices, and the dynamics of lexical meaning.