1
as in wind
language that is impressive-sounding but not meaningful or sincere
the mayor's promise to fight drugs was just rhetoric, since there was no money in the city budget for a drug program
Synonyms & Similar Words
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2
as in poetry
the art or power of speaking or writing in a forceful and convincing way
great leaders have often been masters of rhetoric, which they have used for both good and ill
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of rhetoric
North Korea has also become far more aggressive in its rhetoric towards South Korea, more assertive in its language towards the US and continues to rapidly accelerate its nuclear program.
—
Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Despite this administration's rhetoric, most disasters are handled without federal help.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
The macro 20th century Western rhetoric about Catholic charity can surely be critiqued for not engaging with the driving ideological role of caste, but that is not the interest of nor the purview of this film.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
Similarly, some in the supplement industry are frustrated that — despite the positive rhetoric — the administration hasn’t been more proactive.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Natasha Lindstaedt, Forbes.com, 28 Aug. 2025
Despite this administration's rhetoric, most disasters are handled without federal help.
—Arick Wierson, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
The macro 20th century Western rhetoric about Catholic charity can surely be critiqued for not engaging with the driving ideological role of caste, but that is not the interest of nor the purview of this film.
—Ritesh Mehta, IndieWire, 27 Aug. 2025
Similarly, some in the supplement industry are frustrated that — despite the positive rhetoric — the administration hasn’t been more proactive.
—Suzy Khimm, NBC news, 26 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetoric
Noun
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Topline High-speed winds from a cooler, less dense spot on the sun’s surface may continue disrupting Earth’s magnetic field on Saturday, as more than a dozen states could have a chance to see the northern lights, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.—
Ty Roush,
Forbes.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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The whole movie, Greengrass has been giving audiences the wildfire’s POV, propelled by high winds and blowing embers in all directions.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Velasco advised a student with a talent for poetry to apply for the Oskar Knoblauch Holocaust Impact Video Contest using one of his poems.—
Erick Trevino,
AZCentral.com,
7 Sep. 2025
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But Enyedi is a master stylist who knows how to create a certain mood, mixing visual poetry with deadpan humor, and big ideas with quotidian foibles, in a film that explores our mysterious relationship with both the green world and one another.—
Jordan Mintzer,
HollywoodReporter,
6 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Renken called his colleagues' complaint nonsense and an attempt to undermine his own claim against them.—
Kelly Meyerhofer,
jsonline.com,
29 Aug. 2025
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Every string of nonsense from Liam’s mouth was met with applause and joyous laughter.—
Rob Picheta,
CNN Money,
28 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Across the galaxy, stars are born in immense clouds of gas and dust — stellar nurseries where gravity coaxes material to coalesce and ignite.—
Kenna Hughes-Castleberry,
Space.com,
4 Sep. 2025
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The rupture blasted more than 23 million cubic feet of gas into the air, as much as is used in 365 homes in a year, according to data the company that owns the pipeline, Energy Transfer, reported to the Railroad Commission.—
ProPublica,
ProPublica,
4 Sep. 2025
Noun
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From deep-dish pizza and jazz clubs to museums and lake views, Chicago blends grit, grace, and nonstop energy.—
Lewis Nunn,
Forbes.com,
3 Sep. 2025
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The September event will mirror those of years past, with a slate of jazz musicians, food trucks and vendors, Lyninger said.—
Killian Baarlaer,
Louisville Courier Journal,
3 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Known for his extraordinary oratory skills, everyone who has been around Levy has a story to tell about his Marvisms and motivational speeches.—
Tim Graham,
New York Times,
1 Aug. 2025
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Her brand at the time was something like the Obama of the antipodes: a liberal media darling, icon of the global anti-Trump resistance, transitioning smoothly from lofty oratory to easygoing relatability.—
Andrew Marantz,
New Yorker,
9 June 2025
Noun
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Unconstrained, Iran’s nuclear program continued to expand as the anti-American bombast and Holocaust denial of the new Iranian president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, made diplomacy much more difficult.—
Vali Nasr,
Foreign Affairs,
19 Aug. 2025
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For all his bombast online, for instance, Marcus has said that today’s chatbots are a legitimate breakthrough, just far from the breakthrough; for all of Altman’s petulance, OpenAI’s latest large reasoning models rely on new approaches not so dissimilar from Marcus’s own, decades-old ideas.—
Matteo Wong,
The Atlantic,
8 July 2025
Noun
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Freed of the architectural fustian of the Frick’s Gilded Age home, the art breathes anew, each painting in its own world rather than entwined with others as part of a decorative ensemble.—
Philip Kennicott,
Washington Post,
6 June 2023
Cite this Entry
“Rhetoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rhetoric. Accessed 7 Sep. 2025.
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