Definitions
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
- adj. Of or relating to rhetoric.
- adj. Characterized by overelaborate or bombastic rhetoric.
- adj. Used for persuasive effect: a speech punctuated by rhetorical pauses.
Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia
- Pertaining to, of the nature of, or containing rhetoric; oratorical: as, the rhetorical art; a rhetorical treatise; a rhetorical flourish.
- In some colleges in the United States, rhetorical exercises (declamations, etc.) held publicly before all the students of the college.
Wiktionary
- adj. Part of or similar to rhetoric, which is the use of language as a means to persuade.
- adj. Not earnest, or presented only for the purpose of an argument
GNU Webster's 1913
- adj. Of or pertaining to rhetoric; according to, or exhibiting, rhetoric; oratorical.
WordNet 3.0
- adj. of or relating to rhetoric
- adj. given to rhetoric, emphasizing style at the expense of thought
Etymologies
- From Latin rhētoricus, from Ancient Greek ῥητορικός (rhētorikos, "concerning public speaking"). (Wiktionary)
Examples
“My friend Gary periodically performs what he calls "rhetorical surgery" on himself, excising from his vocabulary a word that feels drained of all meaning.”
“BASH: After Republican Jeff Sessions asked nearly a dozen questions about her controversial comment that a wise Latina woman could make a better judgment, Sotomayor backed off what she called a rhetorical flourish that fell flat.”
“You are what we call a rhetorical thug when it comes to this whole issue of patriotism.”
“MANJI: Glenn, this is what we call a rhetorical question.”
“PHILLIPS: Obama also noted that Senator Biden is prone to what he described as rhetorical flourishes.”
“Just before we settled down for the night a man came and asked if we could store a case for him - as we were the only westerners in the carriage we agreed - I think it was what you called a rhetorical question.”
“Nonetheless, the term is very popular in rhetorical clichés, especially in spoken English:”
“His reactions to the newscast result in rhetorical incredulity that is the backbone of the humor, but which is essentially the same as a stand-up routine and after awhile loses “the funny.””
“Now that we've been shown the evidence and it resonates more than it did when our war with Iran was couched in rhetorical or philosophical terms, the question is what should we do?”
The Huffington Post: Adam Chandler: Show, Don't Tell: WikiLeaks and Our War with Iran
“Using the term “Obamacare” signals that you do not intend to present a serious argument but instead are interested in rhetorical scare tactics and divisiveness.”
The Volokh Conspiracy » Pretending that no law professors question Obamacare
Lists
These user-created lists contain the word ‘rhetorical’.
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common UA vocab. in US
Interesting, there is a traditional vocabulary of an Ukrainian, that differs from vocabulary of average American. It would be nice to explore it.
jackdaw, incongruous, cassock, vivid, magpie, humdrum, amongst, wonder, wandering, wheedling, wheedle, osseous and 368 more...
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sarahochap1
english 7- summer school
apposite, jubilant, supplication, penchant, kiosk, apprehensive, ecology, insular, misnomer, culinary, rhetorical, awry and 13 more...
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my GRE words
pedant, wizened, histrionic, logorrhea, frenetic, approbation, quibble, knell, acclivity, droog, prevarication, aplomb and 182 more...
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Personal Vocabulary List
All my favourite words that I come across!
veritable, incongruence, rigamorole, letcherous, revolting, repulsive, reputrid, rapatious, forays, guise, placate, paradigm and 1162 more...
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kat's words
ecumenical, cacophony, clatter, marimba, bamboo, saffron, slice, mercurial, pomegranate, cranky, slipshod, scritch and 511 more...
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SAT Vocab
Redundant.
problematic, proclivity, prodigal, prodigious, prodigy, profane, profligate, profound, profusion, proliferation, prolific, prologue and 455 more...
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colin's Words
carmine, puce, asinine, phrenetic, blight, edelweiss, supine, clusterfuck, meme, blobject, doppelganger, mesmerism and 105 more...
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From Book - SAT & College Dictionary ...
ebb, exotic, immure, abeyance, panegyric, debonair, protege, dissipate, frantic, penitent, abject, edify and 871 more...
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hober's Words
anglosphere, wiki, slither, cylon, satchel, faustian, ragamuffin, frak, salient, fervid, tartan, snowclone and 299 more...
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thegirlnextfloor's list
autumnal, avalanche, silhouette, antique, abysmal, scorch, sonic, surge, symmetry, whisper, penchant, dissipate and 349 more...
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Vocabulary
paradox, aberration, laconic, lugubrious, credulous, loquacious, deprecate, pointillistic, epigone, vehement, surly, obtuse and 359 more...
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merfee's Words
supple, dichotomy, relish, rhapsody, pneumonoultramicr..., embrace, ishmael, ebullient, recalcitrant, elegy, char, lugubrious and 522 more...
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thricedotted's Words
schadenfreude, vanquish, calumny, obsequious, rhapsody, expostulate, promontory, bordello, quintessence, catharsis, recapitulation, myriad and 937 more...
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nfrank's Words
antediluvian, equivocate, inchoate, denouement, effulgent, edify, endemic, palimpsest, apropos, circumnavigate, circumlocution, cognoscente and 484 more...
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Bombastic
Words related to bombastic.
bombastic, pompous, grandiloquent, magniloquent, altiloquent, fustian, orotund, euphuistic, periphrastic, circumlocutory, grandiose, turgid and 5 more...
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The Heart of the Matter - Graham Greene
matin, cicatrice, Tower of Babel, grandiloquent, rhetorical, palaver, chit, Atabrine, garrulous, raillery, laterite, pathos
Tweets
Looking for tweets for rhetorical.
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