1. Plural of paralipsis: a rhetorical device in which a speaker mentions something by saying they will not mention it, or deliberately omits something while drawing attention to the omission.
Usage: literary; rhetoric; also spelled 'paralepsis' or 'preterition'

Examples

• The speaker used paralipses when she said, 'I won't even mention his poor track record' while clearly drawing attention to it.
• In his speech, the candidate employed paralipses by saying, 'I could discuss my opponent's scandals, but I won't,' thereby highlighting them anyway.
• The author's use of paralipses created irony: 'I shall not speak of the elephant in the room' made the problem impossible to ignore.
• Paralipses is a common technique in political rhetoric, where speakers deny they will mention something while doing exactly that.
• The poet's paralipses—'I will not describe her beauty'—paradoxically emphasized her attractiveness through the denial itself.