Rhetorical

  • 1rhetorical — rhetorical, grandiloquent, magniloquent, aureate, flowery, euphuistic, bombastic are comparable when they mean emphasizing style often at the expense of thought. Rhetorical describes a style, discourse, passage, phrase, or word which, however… …

    New Dictionary of Synonyms

  • 2Rhetorical — Rhe*tor ic*al, a. [L. rhetoricus, Gr. ????. See {Rhetoric}.] Of or pertaining to rhetoric; according to, or exhibiting, rhetoric; oratorical; as, the rhetorical art; a rhetorical treatise; a rhetorical flourish. [1913 Webster] They permit him to… …

    The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • 3rhetorical — (adj.) late 15c., eloquent, from L. rhetoricus (see RHETORIC (Cf. rhetoric)). Meaning pertaining to rhetoric is from 1520s. Rhetorical question is from 1670s. Related: Rhetorically …

    Etymology dictionary

  • 4rhetorical — index flatulent, inflated (bombastic), orotund, turgid, voluble Burton s Legal Thesaurus. William C. Burton. 2006 …

    Law dictionary

  • 5rhetorical — [adj] wordy; flowery in speech articulate, aureate, bombastic, declamatory, eloquent, embellished, euphuistic, exaggerated, flamboyant, flashy*, florid, fluent, glib*, grand, grandiloquent, grandiose, high flown, hyperbolic, imposing, inflated,… …

    New thesaurus

  • 6rhetorical — ► ADJECTIVE 1) relating to or concerned with rhetoric. 2) expressed in terms intended to persuade or impress. 3) (of a question) asked for effect or to make a statement rather than to obtain an answer. DERIVATIVES rhetorically adverb …

    English terms dictionary

  • 7rhetorical — [ri tôr′i kəl] adj. 1. of, having the nature of, or according to rhetoric 2. using or characterized by mere rhetoric, or artificial eloquence; showy and elaborate in style rhetorically adv …

    English World dictionary

  • 8rhetorical — [[t]rɪtɒ̱rɪk(ə)l, AM tɔ͟ːr [/t]] 1) ADJ: usu ADJ n A rhetorical question is one which is asked in order to make a statement rather than to get an answer. He grimaced slightly, obviously expecting no answer to his rhetorical question... He made no …

    English dictionary

  • 9rhetorical — also rhetoric adjective Date: 15th century 1. a. of, relating to, or concerned with rhetoric b. employed for rhetorical effect; especially asked merely for effect with no answer expected < a rhetorical question > 2. a. given to rhetoric ;&#8230; …

    New Collegiate Dictionary

  • 10rhetorical — adjective /rɪˈtɒr.ɪ.kəl,rəˈtɒr.ɪ.kəl,rɪˈtɔːrɪkəl,rəˈtɔːrɪkəl/ Part of or similar to rhetoric, which is the use of language as a means to persuade. A rhetorical question, for example, is one used merely to make a point, with no response expected.&#8230; …

    Wiktionary