rhetoric

noun

rhet·​o·​ric ˈre-tə-rik 

1

: the art of speaking or writing effectively: such as

a

: the study of principles and rules of composition formulated by critics of ancient times

b

: the study of writing or speaking as a means of communication or persuasion

2

a

: skill in the effective use of speech

b

: a type or mode of language or speech

also : insincere or grandiloquent language

3

: verbal communication : discourse

Synonyms

• bombast
• fustian
• gas
• grandiloquence
• hot air
• oratory
• verbiage
• wind

Examples of rhetoric in a Sentence

The media almost never discuss what the sweeping dismantling of public services inherent in the rhetoric of the antigovernment movement would mean in practice. —E. J. Dionne, Jr., Commonweal, 20 Nov. 2009

What they are in reality are the romantic words of a man who needs glorious rhetoric to cover up murderous reality. —Pete Hamill, Cosmopolitan, April 1976

No speech could have been more thoroughly honest in its intention: the frigid rhetoric at the end was as sincere as the bark of a dog, or the cawing of an amorous rook. —George Eliot, Middlemarch, 1872

Otherwise he might have been a great general, blowing up all sorts of towns, or he might have been a great politician, dealing in all sorts of parliamentary rhetoric; but as it was, he and the Court of Chancery had fallen upon each other in the pleasantest way, and nobody was much the worse … —Charles Dickens, Bleak House, 1852-53

a college course in rhetoric

the mayor's promise to fight drugs was just rhetoric, since there was no money in the city budget for a drug program

Recent Examples on the Web

However, what violent extremists perceive as a tacit nod of approval — based on Trump’s own violent rhetoric — could lead to a surge in domestic terrorism in a country that remains anxious, angry and well-armed. —Colin P. Clarke, The Mercury News, 12 Nov. 2024

Last fall, she was censured for her rhetoric on the Israel-Hamas war, which critics condemned as anti-Semitic. —Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 6 Nov. 2024

But despite the lengthy speeches and political platforms, the rhetoric of the campaign trail doesn't lend itself to nuanced explanations on their different approaches to these matters. —Shannon K. Kingston, ABC News, 5 Nov. 2024

When Los Tigres Del Norte took the stage at a Harris-Walz rally in Las Vegas just before Election Day, the band channeled the frustrations of many Latino voters, providing a compelling response to Donald Trump’s anti-immigrant rhetoric. —Tomás Mier, Rolling Stone, 5 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Middle English rethorik, from Anglo-French rethorique, from Latin rhetorica, from Greek rhētorikē, literally, art of oratory, from feminine of rhētorikos of an orator, from rhētōr orator, rhetorician, from eirein to say, speak — more at word

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

rhetoric

noun

rhet·​o·​ric ˈret-ə-rik 

1

: the art of speaking or writing effectively

2

: the study or use of the principles and rules of composition

3

a

: skill in the effective use of speech

b

: language that is not honest, sincere, or meaningful

rhetorician

ˌret-ə-ˈrish-ən

noun