variants
also rhetoric
1
as in oratorical
marked by the use of impressive-sounding but mostly meaningless words and phrases
you can skip over the rhetorical passages and still get the gist of the essay
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in purple
full of fine words and fancy expressions
the new governor delivered a long rhetorical speech about our state's bright future but laid out no specific programs for ensuring it
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in verbal
of or relating to words or language
the next war that those two nations fight won't be rhetorical—it will be with bombs and bullets
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
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Recent Examples of rhetorical
As in other arenas, the facts shift depending on Trump’s personalist view of the world and on his rhetorical needs.
—
Fergus McIntosh, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
This is the cost of treating immigration like a rhetorical punching bag instead of a cornerstone of America’s caregiving infrastructure.
—Sean C. Domnick, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2025
That brief respite in Trump’s relentless rhetorical war on his favorite economic foil will almost certainly expire Wednesday afternoon – possibly while Powell is still fielding questions from reporters after the Fed announces its interest rate decision.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
The phrase itself is more of a rhetorical flourish than a description of how Beijing sees Moscow.
—Da Wei, Foreign Affairs, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetorical
Fergus McIntosh, New Yorker, 6 Aug. 2025
This is the cost of treating immigration like a rhetorical punching bag instead of a cornerstone of America’s caregiving infrastructure.
—Sean C. Domnick, The Orlando Sentinel, 25 July 2025
That brief respite in Trump’s relentless rhetorical war on his favorite economic foil will almost certainly expire Wednesday afternoon – possibly while Powell is still fielding questions from reporters after the Fed announces its interest rate decision.
—Phil Mattingly, CNN Money, 30 July 2025
The phrase itself is more of a rhetorical flourish than a description of how Beijing sees Moscow.
—Da Wei, Foreign Affairs, 29 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetorical
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetorical
Adjective
-
But political speech in the nineteenth century, as testified to by any number of senatorial addresses, tended toward the oratorical and long-winded.—
James Marcus,
New Yorker,
2 June 2025
-
Not merely because of his superior oratorical pizazz but also his remarkable style.—
Julian Randall,
Essence,
4 Dec. 2024
Adjective
-
Hoping for a purple one, Gauff seemed satisfied with a turquoise Labubu.—
Merlisa Lawrence Corbett,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Before the meeting, dozens of workers and community members dressed in matching purple Service Employees International Union Local 1 shirts gathered outside the CPS headquarters to criticize the recent layoffs of hundreds of custodians.—
Kate Perez,
Chicago Tribune,
13 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
After a verbal altercation between Britton and a 65-year-old man escalated, Worthy said the suspect fired a gun several times.—
Andrea May Sahouri,
Freep.com,
14 Aug. 2025
-
According to filings by the Middlesex County Prosecutors’ office, Limani’s dashboard camera recorded his verbal challenge to race the other driver, Jeter Ogando, 23.—
Colin Mixson,
New York Daily News,
14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
Related Articles For the past 40-plus years in the Philippines, Natori’s mother Angelita Cruz has been very close to the nuncios (who act as pontifical ambassadors), the designer said.—
Rosemary Feitelberg,
Footwear News,
18 June 2025
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The only pontifical name that hasn't been used more than once is Peter, the name of the first pope, though there's no prohibition against doing so.—
Christopher Watson,
ABC News,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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To avoid this, look to centralize your transcription process with a unified workflow that includes linguistic QA and terminology glossaries tailored to your firm.—
Beth Worthy,
Forbes.com,
12 Aug. 2025
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And what if these forces met, in real life, for a bit of undercooked linguistic combat?—
Brady Brickner-Wood,
New Yorker,
8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
-
So, the narrative that AI is omniscient and omnipotent at displacing labor works well to convince investors to pay inflated valuation premiums for companies that expend huge resources on building data centers and hiring AI engineers and data scientists.—
Shivaram Rajgopal,
Forbes.com,
17 Aug. 2025
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The data showed wildly inflated salaries being paid to employees at the Everglades camp under a $78 million state contract with Critical Response Strategies (CRS), a Jacksonville firm with ties to DeSantis.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
20 July 2025
Adjective
-
Two of the game’s most brilliant villains have matured into eloquent eulogists.—
Simon Vozick-Levinson,
Rolling Stone,
30 June 2025
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The gleaming veneer of artificial intelligence has captivated the world, with large language models producing eloquent responses that often seem indistinguishable from human thought.—
Cornelia C. Walther,
Forbes.com,
10 June 2025
Adjective
-
If management is clear, communicative and aligned on DEI, HR becomes a creative force.—
Expert Panel®,
Forbes.com,
5 Aug. 2025
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Painting a picture of the way forward and then remaining visible, calm and communicative builds trust and cultivates stability.—
Camille Nicita,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Rhetorical.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rhetorical. Accessed 21 Aug. 2025.
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