rhetoric

English

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rhetoric

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• rhetorick (obsolete)

Etymology 1

From Middle English rethorik, from Latin rēthoricus, rhētoricus, from Ancient Greek ῥητορῐκός (rhētorikós).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɹɪˈtɒɹɪk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Adjective

rhetoric

1. Synonym of rhetorical.

Etymology 2

From Middle English rethorik, rhetoric, from Old French rhetorique, from Latin rhētorica, from Ancient Greek ῥητορική (rhētorikḗ), ellipsis of ῥητορικὴ τέχνη (rhētorikḕ tékhnē), from ῥητορικός (rhētorikós, “concerning public speech”), from ῥήτωρ (rhḗtōr, “public speaker”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɹɛtəɹɪk/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

Noun

rhetoric (countable and uncountable, plural rhetorics)

1. The art of using language, especially public speaking, as a means to persuade.
   • 2023 March 8, Howard Johnston, “Was Marples the real railway wrecker?”, in RAIL, number 978, page 53:

     Transport Minister Marples, meanwhile, used arrogant rhetoric and showed his personal contempt for railways when confirming in Parliament that a third of the network was to be closed even before the survey results were known.

2. Meaningless language with an exaggerated style intended to impress.

   It’s only so much rhetoric.

Synonyms

• speechcraft
• wordcraft

Derived terms

• current-traditional rhetoric
• deep rhetoric
• public rhetoric
• rhetorical
• rhetorician

Related terms

Collocations

Translations

See also

• preterition
• Appendix:Glossary of rhetoric

Anagrams

• torchier