What Is Asyndeton? | Examples & Definition

Asyndeton is the deliberate omission or absence of words like “and,” “but,” and “or” from a series of clauses or sentences. This has various effects such as speeding up the rhythm, changing the tone, and adding emphasis.

We can encounter asyndeton in various forms of writing, including plays, poems, speeches, and everyday language.

Asyndeton definition

Asyndeton is a literary device and rhetorical device that occurs when coordinating conjunctions that usually link other words or phrases are intentionally left out, creating a series of words or phrases without typical breaks.

Coordinating conjunctions join other words or clauses in a sentence into relationships of equal importance. This means that the parts of the sentence are related but not dependent on each other. The most common are “for,” “and,” “nor,” “but,” “or,” “yet,” and “so” (also known by the acronym FANBOYS).

On the other hand, subordinating conjunctions, like “although” and “because,” indicate that one clause is dependent on the other, as in “I didn’t stay long because I had to wake up early.” However, asyndeton applies only to coordinating conjunctions.

Asyndeton can involve omitting conjunctions between:

• Words: In its simplest form, asyndeton omits a conjunction between two words. For example, “Spending the entire morning in unnecessary meetings made me feel exhausted, dismayed, [and] impatient.”
• Phrases: A phrase is a group of words that does not have a subject and a predicate and thus cannot stand alone. For instance, “His grandfather’s watch was gold and a family heirloom.” Asyndeton would make this “His grandfather’s watch was gold, a family heirloom.”
• Clauses: For instance, “She sang, she danced, she laughed, she lived” instead of “She sang, she danced, she laughed, and she lived.” In this example, there are multiple independent clauses (i.e., sentences that express a complete thought and can stand alone).
• Sentences: Asyndeton at the sentence level means using short, simple sentences instead of one longer sentence, especially in the natural flow of conversation. For example, “He’s stressed. He’s overwhelmed. You might want to give him some space” is an asyndeton for “He’s stressed and overwhelmed, so you might want to give him some space.”

Why is asyndeton used?

Asyndeton is a form of sentence construction that occurs unconsciously in natural speech. This is because it reflects how a spontaneous conversation goes: we express our thoughts rapidly without paying too much attention to conjunctions to link our ideas.

However, asyndeton can also be used in speeches and writing for economy of expression or other rhetorical effects. Overall, asyndeton can have a range of effects in different forms of writing:

• Speed and rhythm: Asyndeton can create a sense of urgency or excitement by speeding up the rhythm of the text. This is often used in motivational writing and speaking as it grabs the reader or listener’s attention. Some of the most remembered asyndeton statements are part of well-known speeches, like Abraham Lincoln’s Gettysburg address: “[…] and that government of the people, by the people, for the people shall not perish from the Earth.”
• Emphasis and intensity: Writers use asyndeton to emphasize the individual elements described. For example, Joseph Conrad employs asyndeton in the following lines from Heart of Darkness: “An empty stream, a great silence, an impenetrable forest. The air was thick, warm, heavy, sluggish.” By isolating the words, he allows them to stand out more vividly in the reader’s mind.
• Conciseness: Asyndeton creates short, impactful phrases that express what the writer or speaker is trying to convey in a succinct form. This compact version is easier to remember as seen in Julius Caesar’s famous quote “I came, I saw, I conquered” or the slogan “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.”
• Creating a sense of fragmentation: Disjointed words and phrases affect the overall mood of a text. For example, in T.S Eliot’s The Waste Land, the lines “April is the cruelest month, breeding / Lilacs out the dead land, mixing / Memory and desire” use asyndeton to highlight the despair and disorientation that runs through the poem.
• Creating a feeling of openness: For example, the sentence “He received applause, prizes, money, fame,” implies that additional items could be included. This sense of incompleteness engages readers and encourages them to fill in gaps with their own interpretations.

Polysyndeton vs asyndeton

Polysyndeton is the opposite of asyndeton. Whereas asyndeton involves the omission of conjunctions, polysyndeton is the repetition of conjunctions such as “and,” “or,” “for,” and “but” in close succession, especially when most of them could be replaced with a comma.

Polysyndeton is used to slow down the rhythm, create a buildup, or give a child-like tone to a text.

Asyndeton examples

In the following lines from Shakespeare’s Othello (act 1, scene 1), the use of asyndeton conveys urgency and reflects Iago’s fury and desire for revenge.

In the introduction to A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens uses juxtaposition and asyndeton: he presents a series of contrasting images without conjunctions, preparing the reader for the contradictions and social tensions of the historical context.

Frequently asked questions about asyndeton

What is the opposite of asyndeton?

The opposite of asyndeton is polysyndeton. It is the repeated use of conjunctions like “and,” “or,” “but,” etc., in close succession, particularly where they are not necessary. Unlike asyndeton, which omits conjunctions, polysyndeton adds conjunctions for effect (e.g., “We had sandwiches and chips and fruit and cookies and soda for our picnic”).

What is an example of asyndeton?

President John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address (1961) includes an example of asyndeton: “[…] that we shall pay any price, bear any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, oppose any foe to assure the survival and the success of liberty.” Here, the use of asyndeton emphasizes his commitment to liberty.