- Today's Word
Accismus
ak-SIZ-mus
Definition
(noun) A form of irony in which a person pretends to refuse or show disinterest in something they actually desire
Example
His accismus was obvious to everyone at the table — he waved off the dessert menu three times before finally ordering the chocolate cake.
Word Origin
Accismus comes directly from the Greek akkismos, meaning “prudery” or “affectation,” derived from Akkō, the name of a foolish woman in Greek legend known for her coy, affected behavior. It entered English as a formal rhetorical term, classified among the figures of speech used in classical oratory and persuasion.
Fun Fact
Accismus is one of the oldest rhetorical tricks in the book — and one of the most recognizable in real life. Shakespeare used it masterfully in Julius Caesar, when Mark Antony repeatedly insists he has no intention of stirring the crowd, all while doing exactly that. Politicians, negotiators, and even celebrities deploy accismus constantly: the public figure who insists they have “no interest” in running for office while quietly building a campaign team is a modern textbook example. Rhetoricians classified it as a subcategory of irony, but psychologists today might simply call it strategic self-presentation.