rhetorical
Americanadjective
-
used for, belonging to, or concerned with mere style or effect, rather than truth, substance, or meaning.
Her bold and ingenious analogies, although engaging, are purely rhetorical, adding nothing to our understanding of the issue.
- Synonyms:
- oratorical, stylistic, verbal
-
marked by or tending to use exaggerated language or bombast.
Fortunately, the rebel leaders did not have the military power to follow through on their fiery rhetorical eruptions.
-
of, relating to, or concerned with rhetoric, or the skillful use of language to persuade people.
She had spent hours with her advisors discussing rhetorical strategy, and now it was time to deliver the speech.
-
of, relating to, or in reference to a rhetorical question.
No need to respond—that was rhetorical.
adjective
-
concerned with effect or style rather than content or meaning; bombastic
-
of or relating to rhetoric or oratory
Other Word Forms
- nonrhetorical adjective
- rhetorically adverb
- rhetoricalness noun
- unrhetorical adjective
Etymology
Origin of rhetorical
First recorded in 1470–80; from Latin rhētoric(us) (from Greek rhētorikós ) + -al 1
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The rhetorical slugfest is growing increasingly ugly to watch.
From Salon
Mr. Speck looks past the rhetorical flourishes to the surprisingly pragmatic and, he argues, even mainstream worldview at the security strategy’s core.
If you throw in the rhetorical brilliance, the heart and the boundless wit that coursed through his greatest works, his pre-eminence is hard to challenge.
After Pericles’ death from plague in 429 B.C., rhetorical and political authority is seized by Cleon, an upstart demagogue who is the “most violent person in Athens” and “the most persuasive.”
“Go on. My question was not a rhetorical one.”
From Literature
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
