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
The company has faced brand and reputational damage in the past year, largely due to Musk's incendiary rhetoric and political activity.
—
Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Online, Mamdani has also faced increasing Islamophobic rhetoric from right-wing commentators and politicians.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 26 June 2025
The New York Times reported in May that 162 judges received threats in the six weeks after March 1, coinciding with harsh rhetoric criticizing judges who have ruled against the administration.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 26 June 2025
That sort of rhetoric might land better coming from a more traditional teachers union focused mainly on the classroom, but not from this messianic group of ultra-leftists.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Lora Kolodny, CNBC, 26 June 2025
Online, Mamdani has also faced increasing Islamophobic rhetoric from right-wing commentators and politicians.
—Angela Yang, NBC news, 26 June 2025
The New York Times reported in May that 162 judges received threats in the six weeks after March 1, coinciding with harsh rhetoric criticizing judges who have ruled against the administration.
—Ella Lee, The Hill, 26 June 2025
That sort of rhetoric might land better coming from a more traditional teachers union focused mainly on the classroom, but not from this messianic group of ultra-leftists.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 25 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetoric
Noun
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The water fountains are trickling; wind chimes tinkle and shimmer in the breeze, and the store’s seemingly endless lines of indoor and outdoor décor are available to celebrate each season and occasion.—
Emily M. Olson,
Hartford Courant,
19 June 2025
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The storm's combination of wet snow and gusty winds could make hiking in the backcountry dangerous.—
Martha McHardy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
19 June 2025
Noun
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Entries are welcome across a broad spectrum of formats, including but not limited to visual storytelling, experimental or documentary film, live or recorded performance, poetry, sound and music, fashion innovation, digital tools, choreography, multimedia, and social media campaigns.—
PhotoVogue,
Vogue,
21 June 2025
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The program combines poetry, music and a combination of modern and traditional Kuchipudi dance.—
Jessica Gelt,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Noun
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All of this exploring and staying open and slow-burn nonsense left us with half the villa coupled up but stagnant — unwilling to stray but unwilling to grow — and the other half hopelessly single.—
Kathleen Walsh,
Vulture,
25 June 2025
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Sadly, the label would have none of that experimental nonsense.—
Ernesto Lechner,
Rolling Stone,
21 June 2025
Noun
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Buc-ee’s has pitched building 120 gas pumps and 12 charging stations for electric vehicles on the property.—
Sofi Zeman,
Kansas City Star,
26 June 2025
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Iran approved the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a vital oil and gas route.—
Nicole Fallert,
USA Today,
26 June 2025
Noun
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Rios plans to major in jazz studies and earn teaching credentials at San Diego State University, and aspires to have a professional music career.—
Elizabeth Marie Himchak,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
24 June 2025
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Located in Hollywood on Sunset Boulevard and Ivar Avenue, the celebrated jazz institution is rolling out a roster of A-list artists in jazz and other genres.—
Steve Baltin,
Los Angeles Times,
24 June 2025
Noun
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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
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Unlike his small-time Israeli rivals, the placards implied, Netanyahu was a savvy statesman who punched above his weight on the international stage, thanks to his unaccented English oratory and ability to inveigle the world’s most powerful people.—
Yair Rosenberg,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2025
Noun
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As for any hint of bombast, by the standards of CBGBs, Talking Heads played at a volume that was nothing short of demure.—
Rolling Stone,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2025
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Despite the lack of bombast, The Alters tells a compelling and heartfelt narrative, with some goofier moments to break up the unrelenting drama.—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
14 June 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 3 Jul. 2025.
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