Antimetabole vs. Chiasmus. What's the difference? Up until yesterday, I didn't know the distinction was marked by separate words. BUT I'm learning everyday Antimetabole is the reversed repetition of words or phrases. For example: "Pleasure's a sin, and sometimes sin's a pleasure" - Lord Byron. In "chiasmus," similar concepts or grammatical structures are repeated and reversed, but not necessarily the same words. For example: "It's HARD to MAKE time, but to WASTE it is EASY"