Antonomasia is a figure of speech that uses an epithet or appellation to refer to a person or thing instead of their original name. It involves substituting a praiseworthy or descriptive name for a person, such as referring to someone as "brave" instead of by their actual name. Some common examples of antonomasia include referring to Shakespeare as "The Bard of Avon", Michael Jackson as "The King of Pop", and Napoleon as "the little corporal". Antonomasia is a rhetorical device used in both formal speech and everyday conversation.