Meaning & use
topoi
Last updated
“topoi” is a form of “topos”.
Meanings
nounpluralliterary
Familiar themes, images or situations that writers and artists use again and again across different works.
Grammar: Plural of topos; countable and used with are: the topoi are familiar.
Patterns
- topoi of something
- recurring topoi in something
Journeys and homecomings are among the oldest topoi in epic poetry.
The film relies on familiar topoi such as the lonely detective.
Critics traced the topoi of exile in the poet's work.
nounpluraltechnical
In classical rhetoric, standard lines of argument that speakers can draw on to build a case.
Grammar: Technical sense in the study of rhetoric: speakers choose topoi to persuade.
Patterns
- topoi of argument
- draw on topoi
Ancient orators memorized topoi they could use in any trial.
The lecture explains how topoi of cause and effect shape persuasion.
Students learned rhetorical topoi before writing their first speeches.
Word forms
| singular | topos |
|---|
Common combinations
- literary topoi
- Spring and rebirth are common literary topoi.
- classical topoi
- The poem borrows classical topoi about fame and death.
- familiar topoi
- Familiar topoi make a story easy to recognize.
- rhetorical topoi
- The course analyses rhetorical topoi in political speeches.
Synonyms and how they differ
- motifs
- Motifs are recurring elements within a single work or author, whereas topoi are shared conventions across many writers and periods.
- tropes
- Tropes are repeated devices or clichés and often suggest overuse, while topoi sounds more scholarly and neutral.
- themes
- Themes are the central ideas of a work, but topoi are ready-made patterns that writers inherit.
Word family
- topos noun
- a single conventional theme or argument
- topic noun
- a subject being discussed; same Greek root
- topical adjective
- relating to current events
- commonplace noun
- an ordinary remark or familiar idea
Commonly confused: topoi or topics?
topoi vs topics
Topics are subjects of discussion in general, whereas topoi are traditional, repeated themes or argument patterns.
Practice
What are the topoi of a literary genre?
Choose one answer.
Topoi are traditional themes and images shared across many works. Printing errors, prices and publishers do not describe shared literary patterns.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “topoi”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.