1
as in wind
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
the mayor's promise to fight drugs was just rhetoric, since there was no money in the city budget for a drug program
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in poetry
the art or power of speaking or writing in a forceful and convincing way
great leaders have often been masters of rhetoric, which they have used for both good and ill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rhetoric
In the interviews and non-fiction film, Deen and Glass advocated for her reputation and asserted that her racist rhetoric was not fully understood by the public.
—
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This philosophy isn't just rhetoric.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Even amid all the laughter and hijinks, Harry managed to put some emotional rhetoric in his speech.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 7 Sep. 2025
Hearts that work exactly like ours, despite whatever rhetoric is coming from the White House.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Demicia Inman, VIBE.com, 8 Sep. 2025
This philosophy isn't just rhetoric.
—Geri Stengel, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Even amid all the laughter and hijinks, Harry managed to put some emotional rhetoric in his speech.
—Lea Veloso, StyleCaster, 7 Sep. 2025
Hearts that work exactly like ours, despite whatever rhetoric is coming from the White House.
—Heidi Stevens, Chicago Tribune, 5 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetoric
Noun
-
The energy department said wind and solar capacity is 'worthless' without sunlight or wind.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
-
Waterspouts become favorable when water temperatures are warm, the air is cold and moist, and wind speeds are relatively light.—
Jenna Prestininzi,
Freep.com,
8 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Velasco advised a student with a talent for poetry to apply for the Oskar Knoblauch Holocaust Impact Video Contest using one of his poems.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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But Enyedi is a master stylist who knows how to create a certain mood, mixing visual poetry with deadpan humor, and big ideas with quotidian foibles, in a film that explores our mysterious relationship with both the green world and one another.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
This smacks of fake tough guy nonsense.—
Troy Renck,
Denver Post,
6 Sep. 2025
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And then a lot of nonsense, which comes with the script.—
Jim Harrington,
Mercury News,
5 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Activities such as global shipping, seismic airgun surveys for oil and gas, offshore construction and drilling, and the emerging threat of deep-sea mining now flood the seas with constant, disruptive sound.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
11 Sep. 2025
-
When unemployment goes up, the Fed usually lowers interest rates to try to give the economy some gas.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN Money,
11 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The academy offers jazz ensembles, summer music camps and individual music lessons.—
Lulu Jaeckel,
Twin Cities,
10 Sep. 2025
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Nuestra Cartagena also includes Hart's Townhouse Hotel, home to a stunning rooftop bar and pool and Members Only, a jazz club tucked away on the first floor.—
Carley Rojas Ávila,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Known for his extraordinary oratory skills, everyone who has been around Levy has a story to tell about his Marvisms and motivational speeches.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
-
Her brand at the time was something like the Obama of the antipodes: a liberal media darling, icon of the global anti-Trump resistance, transitioning smoothly from lofty oratory to easygoing relatability.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Unconstrained, Iran’s nuclear program continued to expand as the anti-American bombast and Holocaust denial of the new Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made diplomacy much more difficult.—
Vali Nasr,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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For all his bombast online, for instance, Marcus has said that today’s chatbots are a legitimate breakthrough, just far from the breakthrough; for all of Altman’s petulance, OpenAI’s latest large reasoning models rely on new approaches not so dissimilar from Marcus’s own, decades-old ideas.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Freed of the architectural fustian of the Frick’s Gilded Age home, the art breathes anew, each painting in its own world rather than entwined with others as part of a decorative ensemble.—
Philip Kennicott,
Washington Post,
6 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Rhetoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rhetoric. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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