rhetorical
English · Thesaurus
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rhetorical
- /ɹɪˈtɒɹ.ɪ.kəl/ UK
- /ɹəˈtɒɹ.ɪ.kəl/ UK
- /ɹɪˈtɔɹɪkəl/ US
- /ɹəˈtɔɹɪkəl/ US
Where it comes from
From Middle English rethorycal, rethoricalle, rethorycall, from rethorik, rhetoric (noun) or Latin rēthoricus, rhētoricus, from Ancient Greek ῥητορικός (rhētorikós, “concerning public speaking”). By surface analysis, rhetoric + -al.
adjective
- Part of or similar to rhetoric, the use of language as a means to persuade.
- Not earnest, or presented only for the purpose of an argument. Unfortunately, she has used the attack as a launch pad for a bizarre and undercooked exercise in rhetorical bothsidesism, in which she argues that American Jews should be just as worried about college students who overzealously criticize Israel as they are about the aspiring Einsatzgruppen who shoot
- Asked for dramatic or persuasive effect, rather than to get an answer. '"Are you an idiot? Actually, don't answer that, it was rhetorical."
noun rhetoricals
- A study or exercise in rhetoric.
Thesaurus
Closest in meaning: oratorical, declamatory, anapestic, stylistic, orotund, poetic, poetical, forensic, grandiloquent, bombastic, magniloquent, large, ornate, tall, embellished, turgid
Translations
Every language
adj part of or similar to rhetoric
| Español | retórico |
|---|---|
| Português | retórico |
| Français | rhétorique |
| Deutsch | rhetorisch |
| Ελληνικά | ρητορικός ritorikós |
| Русский | ритори́ческий ritoríčeskij |
Talk about this word "rhetorical." Wiktionary, via Micwyn, micwyn.com/word/rhetorical. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026. rhetorical. (n.d.). In Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Retrieved November 6, 2026, from https://micwyn.com/word/rhetorical "rhetorical." Wiktionary, via Micwyn. Accessed November 6, 2026. https://micwyn.com/word/rhetorical.Cite this
@misc{rhetorical_2026,
title = {rhetorical},
howpublished = {Wiktionary, via Micwyn},
year = {2026},
url = {https://micwyn.com/word/rhetorical},
urldate = {2026-11-06}
}
