rhetorical

[ri-tawr-i-kuh l, -tor-]

See more synonyms for rhetorical on Thesaurus.com

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.

Origin of rhetorical

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

Related formsrhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverbrhe·tor·i·cal·ness, nounnon·rhe·tor·i·cal, adjectivenon·rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverbun·rhe·tor·i·cal, adjectiveun·rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms

See more synonyms for rhetorical on Thesaurus.com

1. verbal, stylistic, oratorical.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Examples from the Web for rhetorical

Contemporary Examples

But politicians abhor a rhetorical vacuum, and they have clamored to fill it.
The 2014 Novel of the Year
Nathaniel Rich
December 29, 2014
Its rhetorical potential—if it ever had any—has been thoroughly exhausted.
The Problematic Hunt for a ‘Gay Gene’
Samantha Allen
November 20, 2014
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
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
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

Historical Examples

The Menexenus has more the character of a rhetorical exercise than any other of the Platonic works.
Menexenus
Plato
For I do not imagine that I have any rhetorical art of my own.
Phaedrus
Plato
All of them are rhetorical and poetical rather than dialectical, but glimpses of truth appear in them.
Symposium
Plato
Hardy was desperately in earnest, but not so much so as to be careless of rhetorical effect.
Audrey Craven
May Sinclair
What Inflection is placed on the rhetorical questions in par.
The Ontario High School Reader
A.E. Marty

British Dictionary definitions for rhetorical

rhetorical

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

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

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Synonyms

Examples from the Web for rhetorical

Contemporary Examples

But politicians abhor a rhetorical vacuum, and they have clamored to fill it.

Its rhetorical potential—if it ever had any—has been thoroughly exhausted.

It was a gracious touch, a rhetorical olive branch to his vanquished foes.

But this new flavor of rhetorical flimflam is still pretty, well, whack.

Yet the president uses it for rhetorical vividness—a clarity, as it were.

Historical Examples

The Menexenus has more the character of a rhetorical exercise than any other of the Platonic works.

For I do not imagine that I have any rhetorical art of my own.

All of them are rhetorical and poetical rather than dialectical, but glimpses of truth appear in them.

Hardy was desperately in earnest, but not so much so as to be careless of rhetorical effect.

What Inflection is placed on the rhetorical questions in par.

rhetorical

Word Origin and History for rhetorical

adj.

Origin of rhetorical