rhetorical

[ ri-tawr-i-kuhl, -tor- ]

/ rɪˈtɔr ɪ kəl, -ˈtɒr- /

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adjective

used for, belonging to, or concerned with mere style or effect.

marked by or tending to use exaggerated language or bombast.

of, relating to, or concerned with rhetoric, or the effective use of language.

Nearby words

Origin of rhetorical

1470–80; < Latin rhētoric(us) (< Greek rhētorikós) + -al¹

SYNONYMS FOR rhetorical

1. verbal, stylistic, oratorical.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR rhetorical ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverbrhe·tor·i·cal·ness, nounnon·rhe·tor·i·cal, adjectivenon·rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverb

un·rhe·tor·i·cal, adjectiveun·rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverb

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for rhetorical

But politicians abhor a rhetorical vacuum, and they have clamored to fill it.
The 2014 Novel of the Year|Nathaniel Rich|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Its rhetorical potential—if it ever had any—has been thoroughly exhausted.
The Problematic Hunt for a ‘Gay Gene’|Samantha Allen|November 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was a gracious touch, a rhetorical olive branch to his vanquished foes.
Didn't Obama Hear Oregon’s Warning Shot on Immigration?|Doug McIntyre|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But this new flavor of rhetorical flimflam is still pretty, well, whack.
What Did You Do in the Targeted Action, Daddy?|John McWhorter|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Yet the president uses it for rhetorical vividness—a clarity, as it were.
What Did You Do in the Targeted Action, Daddy?|John McWhorter|September 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The tone of the book, which ought to be a simple story, is stilted and rhetorical.
Lippincott's Magazine of Popular Literature and Science|Various
"By science," said Miss Miniver, and hurried on, putting out a rhetorical hand that showed a slash of finger through its glove.
Ann Veronica|H. G. Wells
In Vida's Ars Poetica there are abundant evidences of the rhetorical and especially the puristic tendencies of modern classicism.
A History of Literary Criticism in the Renaissance|Joel Elias Spingarn
A glow of rhetorical enthusiasm was upon her cheeks and in her eye.
Elizabeth Hobart at Exeter Hall|Jean K. Baird
My brother Dick was as rhetorical in his apologies with the hindermost, whom he dismounted.
Lives Of The Most Remarkable Criminals Who have been Condemned and Executed for Murder, the Highway, Housebreaking, Street Robberies, Coining or other offences|Arthur L. Hayward

British Dictionary definitions for rhetorical

rhetorical

/ (rɪˈtɒrɪkəl) /

adjective

concerned with effect or style rather than content or meaning; bombastic

of or relating to rhetoric or oratory

Derived Formsrhetorically, adverb

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

Word Origin and History for rhetorical

rhetorical

adj.

mid-15c., "eloquent," from Latin rhetoricus, from Greek rhetorikos "oratorical, rhetorical; skilled in speaking," from rhetor "orator" (see rhetoric). Meaning "pertaining to rhetoric" is from 1520s. Rhetorical question is from 1670s. Related: Rhetorically.

rhetorical

adjective

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Origin of rhetorical

Examples from the Web for rhetorical

rhetorical

adjective

rhetorical