Dictionary.com

rhetoric

[ ret-er-ik ]
/ ˈrɛt ər ɪk /
Save This Word!

noun
QUIZ
CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?
There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?
Question 1 of 7
Which sentence is correct?

Origin of rhetoric

1300–50; <Latin rhētorica<Greek rhētorikḕ (téchnē) rhetorical (art); replacing Middle English rethorik<Medieval Latin rēthorica,Latin rhētorica, as above
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use rhetoric in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for rhetoric

rhetoric
/ (ˈrɛtərɪk) /

noun
the study of the technique of using language effectively
the art of using speech to persuade, influence, or please; oratory
excessive use of ornamentation and contrivance in spoken or written discourse; bombast
speech or discourse that pretends to significance but lacks true meaningall the politician says is mere rhetoric

Word Origin for rhetoric

C14: via Latin from Greek rhētorikē (tekhnē) (the art of) rhetoric, from rhētōr rhetor
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
FEEDBACK