Litotes expresses meaning indirectly through a negative construction, often by denying the contrary of what the speaker intends. Saying a storm was “not insignificant” may suggest great force while preserving a measured tone. In poetry, litotes can register emotional control when direct declaration would seem excessive, or it can produce irony by making a powerful feeling sound deliberately muted. The gap between the mild wording and the stronger implication invites readers to infer what is unsaid, creating nuance, tension, and sometimes dry humor.

Litotes often produces restraint, irony, or polite understatement: “not uncommon” may imply frequent, while “not bad” may offer qualified praise. Its double-negative structure can leave the speaker’s exact degree of feeling open.