rhetoric

1 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 bombast, fustian, gas, grandiloquence, hot air, oratory, verbiage, wind Related Words claptrap, drivel, gibberish, hogwash, humbug, jabberwocky, jazz, moonshine, nonsense; affectedness, floweriness, grandiosity, loftiness, pomposity, pretension, pretentiousness; garrulity, garrulousness, verboseness, verbosity, windiness, wordiness

2 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 articulacy [chiefly British], articulateness, poetry, eloquenceRelated Words expression, expressiveness; declamation, elocution, oratory; cogency, force, forcefulness, meaningfulness, persuasion, persuasiveness; ardor, emotion, fervency, fervidness, fervor, heat, intensity, passion, power, vehemence, warmthAntonyms inarticulateness