What does rhetoric mean?

Definitions for rhetoric
ˈrɛt ər ɪkrhetoric

This dictionary definitions page includes all the possible meanings, example usage and translations of the word rhetoric.

Princeton's WordNet

  1. rhetoricnoun

    using language effectively to please or persuade

  2. grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness, grandiloquence, rhetoricnoun

    high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation

    "the grandiosity of his prose"; "an excessive ornateness of language"

  3. palaver, hot air, empty words, empty talk, rhetoricnoun

    loud and confused and empty talk

    "mere rhetoric"

  4. rhetoricnoun

    study of the technique and rules for using language effectively (especially in public speaking)

Wiktionary

  1. rhetoricnoun

    The art of using language, especially public speaking, as a means to persuade.

  2. rhetoricnoun

    Meaningless language with an exaggerated style intended to impress.

    It's only so much rhetoric.

Wikipedia

  1. Rhetoric

    Rhetoric () is the art of persuasion, which along with grammar and logic (or dialectic), is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. Rhetoric aims to study the techniques writers or speakers utilize to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. Aristotle defines rhetoric as "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion" and since mastery of the art was necessary for victory in a case at law, for passage of proposals in the assembly, or for fame as a speaker in civic ceremonies, he calls it "a combination of the science of logic and of the ethical branch of politics". Rhetoric typically provides heuristics for understanding, discovering, and developing arguments for particular situations, such as Aristotle's three persuasive audience appeals: logos, pathos, and ethos. The five canons of rhetoric or phases of developing a persuasive speech were first codified in classical Rome: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. From Ancient Greece to the late 19th century, rhetoric played a central role in Western education in training orators, lawyers, counsellors, historians, statesmen, and poets.

ChatGPT

  1. rhetoric

    Rhetoric is the art or skill of speaking or writing effectively and persuasively, often utilizing figures of speech, compositional techniques, and other strategies to persuade or influence an audience. It is traditionally utilized in areas such as politics, literature, journalism, and advertising. The term can also refer to language that is elaborate, pretentious, insincere, or designed to impress.

Webster Dictionary

  1. Rhetoricnoun

    the art of composition; especially, elegant composition in prose

  2. Rhetoricnoun

    oratory; the art of speaking with propriety, elegance, and force

  3. Rhetoricnoun

    hence, artificial eloquence; fine language or declamation without conviction or earnest feeling

  4. Rhetoricnoun

    fig. : The power of persuasion or attraction; that which allures or charms

  5. Etymology: [F. rhtorique, L. rhetorica, Gr. (sc. ), fr. rhetorical, oratorical, fr. orator, rhetorician; perhaps akin to E. word; cf. to say.]

Wikidata

  1. Rhetoric

    Rhetoric is the art of discourse, an art that aims to improve the capability of writers or speakers that attempt to inform, persuade, or motivate particular audiences in specific situations. As a subject of formal study and a productive civic practice, rhetoric has played a central role in the Western tradition. Its best known definition comes from Aristotle, who considers it a counterpart of both logic and politics, and calls it "the faculty of observing in any given case the available means of persuasion." Rhetorics typically provide heuristics for understanding, discovering, and developing arguments for particular situations, such as Aristotle's three persuasive audience appeals, logos, pathos, and ethos. The five canons of rhetoric, which trace the traditional tasks in designing a persuasive speech, were first codified in classical Rome: invention, arrangement, style, memory, and delivery. Along with grammar and logic, rhetoric is one of the three ancient arts of discourse. From ancient Greece to the late 19th century, it was a central part of Western education, filling the need to train public speakers and writers to move audiences to action with arguments. The word is derived from the Greek ῥητορικός, "oratorical", from ῥήτωρ, "public speaker", related to ῥῆμα, "that which is said or spoken, word, saying", and ultimately derived from the verb λέγω, "to speak, say".

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary

  1. Rhetoric

    ret′or-ik, n. the theory and practice of eloquence, whether spoken or written, the whole art of using language so as to persuade others: the art of speaking with propriety, elegance, and force: artificial oratory: declamation.—adj. Rhetor′ical, pertaining to rhetoric: oratorical.—adv. Rhetor′ically.—v.i. Rhetor′icāte (obs.), to act the orator.—ns. Rhetoricā′tion (obs.); Rhetori′cian, one who teaches the art of rhetoric: an orator.—v.i. Rhet′orise, to play the orator. [Fr.,—L. rhetorica (ars)—Gr. rhētorikē (technē), the rhetorical (art)—rhētōr, a public speaker—erein, to speak.]

The Nuttall Encyclopedia

  1. Rhetoric

    the science or art of persuasive or effective speech, written as well as spoken, and that both in theory and practice was cultivated to great perfection among the ancient Greeks and Romans, and to some extent in the Middle Ages and later, but is much less cultivated either as a science or an art to-day.

The Foolish Dictionary, by Gideon Wurdz

  1. RHETORIC

    Language in a dress suit.

Usage in printed sourcesFrom: 

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Numerology

  1. Chaldean Numerology

    The numerical value of rhetoric in Chaldean Numerology is: 2

  2. Pythagorean Numerology

    The numerical value of rhetoric in Pythagorean Numerology is: 6

Examples of rhetoric in a Sentence

  1. Army Gen. John Campbell:

    We're still taking this potential threat, with its dangerous rhetoric and ideology, very, very seriously, we're working closely with the ANSF to evaluate and understand the dynamic nature of this fledgling network.

  2. Philip Smith:

    I wish I could say that people were joining because they want to go hunting, or shoot for fun with their families. But there is a growing concern. The election cycle racketed up a lot of racial rhetoric, i get emails every day from people who don’t feel safe.

  3. Kamala Harris:

    What we all want is public safety. We don't want rhetoric that's framed through ideology.

  4. David Chiu:

    With the anti-immigrant rhetoric from Donald Trump, it is more important than ever that we come together as San Franciscans to stand up for our immigrant communities and support their civic engagement.

  5. Richard Milhous Nixon:

    My strong point is not rhetoric, it isn't showmanship, it isn't big promises-those things that create the glamour and the excitement that people call charisma and warmth.

Popularity rank by frequency of use

rhetoric#10000#13286#100000

Translations for rhetoric

From our Multilingual Translation Dictionary

  • بلاغةArabic
  • rétorika, floskule, řečnictvíCzech
  • retorik, kancellistil, velformuleretDanish
  • RhetorikGerman
  • retóricaSpanish
  • بلاغتPersian
  • puhetaito, retoriikkaFinnish
  • rhétoriqueFrench
  • reitric, roscaireachtIrish
  • वक्रपटुताHindi
  • հռետորաբանությունArmenian
  • retoriek, redekunde, retoricaDutch
  • retóricaPortuguese
  • пустосло́вие, красноре́чие, рито́рика, риторика, пустозво́нство, красноба́йство, фразёрство, словоблу́диеRussian
  • gòvōrnīštvo, retòrikaSerbo-Croatian
  • рето́рикаUkrainian
  • بیاناتUrdu
  • 修辭Chinese

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"rhetoric." Definitions.net. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 3 Dec. 2024. <https://www.definitions.net/definition/rhetoric>.

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    one of four connected cavities in the brain; is continuous with the central canal of the spinal cord and contains cerebrospinal fluid
    A ventricle
    B auspices
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    D impounding

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