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
Relevance
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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of rhetoric
Experts say that's largely because of rising anti-Trump sentiment and a lack of confidence that Poilievre — a populist whose rhetoric has drawn comparisons to Trump — will stand up to him.
—
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025
In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., voiced concerns over lawmakers' rhetoric about Musk.
—Alexandra Koch, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2025
Airfares and hotel rates aside, the posturing and rhetoric have already turned off some prospective travelers, especially in Canada.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2025
Typically, the argument goes that all Trump’s lying and disinformation, met with righteous scolding from liberals, has led to mass desensitization, over everything from Trump’s thirty-four felony convictions to his racist rhetoric.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Rachel Treisman, NPR, 10 Mar. 2025
In an interview with Fox News host Jesse Watters, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., voiced concerns over lawmakers' rhetoric about Musk.
—Alexandra Koch, Fox News, 9 Mar. 2025
Airfares and hotel rates aside, the posturing and rhetoric have already turned off some prospective travelers, especially in Canada.
—Christopher Reynolds, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2025
Typically, the argument goes that all Trump’s lying and disinformation, met with righteous scolding from liberals, has led to mass desensitization, over everything from Trump’s thirty-four felony convictions to his racist rhetoric.
—Jay Caspian Kang, The New Yorker, 7 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetoric
Noun
-
For Lake Tahoe: southwest winds 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 50 mph.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacramento Bee,
15 Mar. 2025
-
Red flag and high wind warnings were in effect for several states in the Plains and Midwest on Friday.—
Meredith Deliso,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Much of Abdullah’s work draws inspiration from the poetry of Mahmoud Darwish, capturing surreal, dreamlike scenes in which her figures go about their lives in flooding rooms, already ankle-deep.—
Omnia Saed,
ARTnews.com,
17 Mar. 2025
-
Or the enduring image of the left fielder swooping two rows into the stands in Chicago for a catch, and the poetry of him throwing out 102 runners who shouldn’t have dared him.—
Vahe Gregorian,
Kansas City Star,
16 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Describing the plot as utter nonsense would both be 100 percent correct and likely taken as a massive compliment for all involved.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Mar. 2025
-
For Guy, using systems like Kibbe’s to guide your dress choices can mean making nonsense out of your clothes’ cultural grammar, especially in the rigidly codified world of menswear.—
Constance Grady,
Vox,
6 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
However, some people report mild side effects like gas and bloating, which often go away with time.1 In rare cases, probiotics can cause blood infections.—
Lindsey DeSoto,
Health,
10 Mar. 2025
-
Michelle Ruiz called 911 at 1:36 p.m. Sunday to report smelling gas, worrying there was a fire in her apartment building on La Salle St. near W. 124th St. in Morningside Heights, cops said.—
Rocco Parascandola,
New York Daily News,
10 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
The show also features children’s activities and live jazz by the Pete Ellman Trio. Artists interested in participating can apply through May 16.—
Michelle Mullins,
Chicago Tribune,
21 Mar. 2025
-
In addition to a visionary oeuvre melding jazz, electronica, hip-hop and beyond, Flying Lotus has been quietly building a film/TV career over the last decade.—
Joe Lynch,
Billboard,
21 Mar. 2025
Noun
-
Then with some of the most stirring words in American oratory, Kennedy told the students — and all of us — that individual courage can be a powerful force for good.—
John T. Shaw,
Chicago Tribune,
24 Feb. 2025
-
Stevenson’s oratory magnetism was powerful enough to unite, at least for a couple of hours, these disparate and sometimes adversarial forces.—
Robert Salonga,
The Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Trump is a man whose bombast, sweeping actions, and slashing pronouncements accentuate his expansive instinctual drive.—
Robert W. Merry,
Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government,
7 Mar. 2025
-
Carr wanted to bring Broadway verve and Vegas bombast to the Academy Awards, but the stunned looks on the faces of front-row nominees who were getting glad-handed by a Disney princess indicated that Carr’s vision was an immediate catastrophe.—
Zach Schonfeld,
Vulture,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
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
-
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 24 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share