single word requests - What's the term for denying something so as to raise doubt?


Topical example:


'There was a scuffle outside the local pub. There appears to be no connection with religious extremists.'


...but now you're wondering if there was. It's a nasty tactic used to raise fear and doubt - deliberately calling attention to something by explicitly denying it.


What's the term for this?



Answer



In rhetoric, this is called paralipsis or apophasis.


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