Abstract This study investigates the use of figures of speech by individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), a mental health condition subsequent to a traumatic event. A large body of literature has addressed the issue of trauma-related metaphors, but other figures of speech have not been investigated. Our goal is to analyze these figures of speech in relation to PTSD and to assess the extent to which such linguistic markers can contribute to post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis. A total of 136 individuals (49.2 per cent with PTSD) among the survivors of the 2015 Paris attacks were interviewed. The different figures of speech they used were analyzed. Our results show that unlike most studies focusing only on metaphors, other figures of speech are also relevant. Second, we found associations between metaphors, similes, and irony and the criterion “avoidance” as well as between the semantic features of metaphors and similes and symptoms. Finally, unlike most studies addressing the use of metaphors for therapeutic purposes, we suggest that figures of speech could be a relevant contributor to post-traumatic stress disorder diagnosis.