rhetorical

adjective

rhe·​tor·​i·​cal ri-ˈtȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈtär-

variants or less commonly rhetoric

ri-ˈtȯr-ik 

-ˈtär-

1

a

: of, relating to, or concerned with rhetoric

b

: employed for rhetorical effect

especially : asked merely for effect with no answer expected

a rhetorical question

2

a

: given to rhetoric : grandiloquent

b

: verbal

rhetorically

ri-ˈtȯr-i-k(ə-)lē 

-ˈtär-

adverb

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Rhetorical Language vs. Rhetorical Questions

Rhetorical has several meanings which are close enough in meaning that they may easily cause confusion. It can refer to the subject of rhetoric ("the art of speaking or writing effectively") in a broad sense, and may also refer to that same subject in a somewhat deprecatory sense ("given to insincere or grandiloquent language"). But perhaps the most common use of rhetorical today is found in conjunction with question. A rhetorical question is not a question about the art of speaking effectively; it is a question that is asked for effect, rather than from a desire to know the answer. “Would it kill you to stop chewing your food with your mouth open?” is a rhetorical question.

Synonyms

• bombastic
• flatulent
• fustian
• gaseous
• gassy
• grandiloquent
• oratorical
• orotund
• windy

Examples of rhetorical in a Sentence

McKinney made her name in Georgia politics as a rhetorical bomb-thrower. Colleagues in the statehouse dubbed her "Hanoi Cynthia" after a 1991 speech denouncing the Persian Gulf War. —Bill Turque, Newsweek, 29 Nov. 1993

Clinton's acceptance speech evidenced some of the classical rhetorical devices such as paronomasia, or punning, and anaphora, or repetition of key words or phrases. —Leo McManus, English Today, October 1993

"Take that river down there, for instance. It conforms pretty much to the map, doesn't it?" I assumed he was asking a rhetorical question and kept my mouth shut. —Marshall Harrison, A Lonely Kind of War, 1989

… he [Thomas Wolfe] crammed his novels with lavish apostrophes to Life and Death and Loneliness and Sorrow, covering page after page with grandiose rhetorical flourishes …  , pseudo-Homeric epithets …  , wooden dialogue and pious homilies about "the brevity of our days." —James Atlas, New York Times Book Review, 2 Dec. 1979

My question was rhetorical. I wasn't really expecting an answer.

you can skip over the rhetorical passages and still get the gist of the essay

Recent Examples on the Web

From a purely political perspective, such a OLC memo offers an order of magnitude upgrade in its rhetorical power. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

For many, the question of whether screening Rust was even a good idea stands purely rhetorical. —Nick Newman, Vulture, 20 Nov. 2024

Sharp rhetorical skills: Vance is an articulate speaker and debater. —Shaun Chornonroff, Baltimore Sun, 3 Nov. 2024

Trump will likely reprise the rhetorical embrace of Egypt that marked his first term, along with a lack of concern for democracy and human rights. —Michael Wahid Hanna, Foreign Affairs, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

see rhetoric

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing rhetorical

• rhetorical question

Kids Definition

rhetorical

adjective

rhe·​tor·​i·​cal ri-ˈtȯr-i-kəl 

-ˈtär-

1

: of, relating to, or dealing with rhetoric

rhetorical studies

2

: used only for a colorful effect and not expected to be answered

a rhetorical question

rhetorically

-k(ə-)lē 

adverb