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
Leaders from both nations face mounting public pressure to show strength and seek revenge, and the heated rhetoric and competing claims could be a response to that pressure.
—
Sheikh Saaliq, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
Escalating rhetoric between the two countries have roiled markets and added much uncertainty to the economy.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Organizers place the blame for what currently is a $200,000 shortfall directly on the anti-DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric that has emanated from President Donald Trump’s White House.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2025
But Kaplan, the book author, believes that rhetoric is simply a negotiating tactic and that some level of U.S. influence in Ukraine will be enduring.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Sheikh Saaliq, Chicago Tribune, 8 May 2025
Escalating rhetoric between the two countries have roiled markets and added much uncertainty to the economy.
—Medora Lee, USA Today, 8 May 2025
Organizers place the blame for what currently is a $200,000 shortfall directly on the anti-DEI (diversity, equity, inclusion) and anti-LGBTQIA+ rhetoric that has emanated from President Donald Trump’s White House.
—Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 7 May 2025
But Kaplan, the book author, believes that rhetoric is simply a negotiating tactic and that some level of U.S. influence in Ukraine will be enduring.
—David Catanese, Miami Herald, 6 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetoric
Noun
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Critics of the earlier rounds of testing said wind measurements taken at Drake Field airport in Fayetteville were too far away to be valid in Tontitown.—
Doug Thompson,
Arkansas Online,
2 May 2025
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The severe thunderstorms are expected in the afternoon to evening and could also bring corridors of strong wind gusts and hail, the largest of which will come over central Texas, the Storm Prediction Center said.—
Jeanine Santucci,
USA Today,
2 May 2025
Noun
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In the poetry of Donne and his contemporaries, the speaker of the poem is almost always a man, with women as implicit audience and explicit objects of desire.—
A.O. Scott,
New York Times,
1 May 2025
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Unique voices, unique perspectives Of course, there are countless autistic people who write poetry who aren’t famous and haven’t published books.—
Bradley J. Irish,
The Conversation,
29 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Everyone will be there — except Lydia, who Joseph dispatches on a nonsense errand to D.C.—
Amanda Whiting,
Vulture,
6 May 2025
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The sequel has more glamour, more trouble and maybe a bit too much nonsense 1 Comments The first Simple Favor, from 2018, was a playful, shallow mystery most notable for casting the lovely, languid Blake Lively as a cynical, devious clothes horse named Emily Nelson.—
Tom Gliatto,
People.com,
30 Apr. 2025
Noun
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That’s because much of it is largely based on oil and gas revenues that account for over 30% of Kazakhstan’s GDP and over 75% of its exports.—
Gaurav Sharma,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
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In Texas, the problem is exacerbated by pumping of oil and gas, the study says.—
Doyle Rice,
USA Today,
9 May 2025
Noun
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Morton is also involved in efforts to save the home of Buddy Bolden, a seminal jazz musician with no recorded music.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
8 May 2025
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During the 1920s, as jazz and blues dominated mainstream entertainment and echoed through every speakeasy from 110th Street to 155th in New York, a small group of women began embracing masculine attire—not just on stage, but in their everyday lives.—
Tiana Randall,
Forbes.com,
5 May 2025
Noun
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On Friday, as the Rams prepared for the second night of the draft, McVay used his oratory skills before another assemblage of pros.—
Gary Klein,
Los Angeles Times,
26 Apr. 2025
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Revisiting ancient Greek oratory and today’s communication courses, speaking has obviously been prioritized over listening.—
Tyler Shepherd,
USA TODAY,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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But the Liberals also did an excellent job of capitalizing on the U.S. president’s bombast.—
Daniel Block,
The Atlantic,
29 Apr. 2025
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As a show, Agent Carter was full of fun and bombast, showing some of what its eponymous lead got up to after losing her love, Steve Rogers.—
Nola Pfau,
Vulture,
17 Apr. 2025
Noun
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Much of that singularity was centered in McCarthy’s prose, which ricocheted—sometimes gracefully, sometimes jarringly—between gruff matter-of-factness and soaring, biblical grandiloquence.—
Alex Shephard,
The New Republic,
13 June 2023
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Several of them can fly, and all have at least a touch of grandiloquence to them.—
Michael Nordine,
Variety,
11 Aug. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Rhetoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rhetoric. Accessed 14 May. 2025.
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