rhetoric
English edit
Alternative forms edit
- rhetorick (obsolete)
Etymology 1 edit
From Middle English rethorik, from Latin rēthoricus, rhētoricus, from Ancient Greek ῥητορῐκός (rhētorikós).
Pronunciation edit
Adjective edit
rhetoric
- Synonym of rhetorical.
Etymology 2 edit
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 edit
Noun edit
rhetoric (countable and uncountable, plural rhetorics)
- 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.
- Meaningless language with an exaggerated style intended to impress.
- It’s only so much rhetoric.
Synonyms edit
Derived terms edit
Related terms edit
Collocations edit
Collocations
- Adjectives often applied to "rhetoric":
- (by kind or area of application) political, legal, visual, classical, ancient
- (by quality) violent, empty, inflammatory, hateful, heated, fiery, vitriolic, angry, overheated, extreme
Translations edit
art of using language for persuasion
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meaningless language
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