rhetoric
Americannoun
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(in writing or speech) the undue use of exaggeration or display; bombast.
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the art or science of all specialized literary uses of language in prose or verse, including the figures of speech.
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the study of the effective use of language.
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the ability to use language effectively.
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the art of prose in general as opposed to verse.
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the art of making persuasive speeches; oratory.
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(in classical oratory) the art of influencing the thought and conduct of an audience.
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(in older use) a work on rhetoric.
noun
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the study of the technique of using language effectively
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the art of using speech to persuade, influence, or please; oratory
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excessive use of ornamentation and contrivance in spoken or written discourse; bombast
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speech or discourse that pretends to significance but lacks true meaning
all the politician says is mere rhetoric
Etymology
Origin of rhetoric
First recorded in 1300–50; from Latin rhētorica, from Greek rhētorikḕ (téchnē) “rhetorical (art)”; replacing Middle English rethorik, from Medieval Latin rēthorica, Latin rhētorica, as above
Explanation
Rhetoric is speaking or writing that's intended to persuade. If your goal is to write editorial columns for the New York Times, you should work on your rhetoric. Rhetoric comes from the Greek meaning "speaker" and is used for the art of persuasive speaking or writing. When people listened eagerly to long speeches and studied them in school, rhetoric was generally used positively; now it is often a negative term, implying artfulness over real content. If someone gives a clever speech but doesn't really address the problem, you might say, "That's just a lot of rhetoric."
Vocabulary lists containing rhetoric
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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Argumentative Writing
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Where Charlize Theron’s Calypso ought to have been angry, funny, skilled in rhetoric and libidinous, according to Wilson, she’s “an unpaid therapist.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 28, 2026
May we ask: Did anyone really believe he would follow through on this bit of aspirational rhetoric?
From Slate ● Jul. 25, 2026
"If his rhetoric is as dynamic as his seeming personality and he actually brings to life some of what he's talking about, the next two to three years will be more promising," she added.
From Barron's ● Jul. 20, 2026
Talk of dopamine and digital addiction is mostly rhetoric dressed as neuroscience.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026
I started college at nearby UC Berkeley, where my life was a mixture of antiwar rallies and marches and beginning French and rhetoric classes.
From "Boots on the Ground: America's War in Vietnam" by Elizabeth Partridge
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
