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
Some of this may have been prompted by a swift and dramatic shift in Delcy Rodríguez’s public rhetoric toward the United States.
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Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 6 Jan. 2026
This city has never had the kind of concentration, geographic or otherwise, that might give rise to a #BostonStrong or to the rhetoric that prompted us to ‘Never Forget’ 9/11.
—Matthew Specktor, HollywoodReporter, 5 Jan. 2026
Neuralink top officials’ public rhetoric about machine-human symbiosis and healthy human implantation diverges sharply from the company’s clinical work helping people with ALS and quadriplegia control a computer with their mind.
—O. Rose Broderick, STAT, 5 Jan. 2026
That gap between rhetoric and policy, analysts say, is likely to persist.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 5 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for rhetoric
Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetoric
Noun
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Crews were already stretched thin battling the Palisades fire when 90-mile-per-hour winds grounded aircraft and caused the blaze to explode.—
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And five monkeys had been present at the silent launching of the fragile glider, which should have stayed in the air for some minutes, borne on the bosom of the wind, before landing sweetly on a treetop, from which it would then be retrieved by Pedro for another flight.—
Noun
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Each episode features an in-depth interview with a fiction, non-fiction, essay, or poetry writer.—
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Her debut poetry collection is forthcoming with House of Anansi in April 2027 and her book of co-translated poems JAWS by Xitlalitl Rodríguez Mendoza is forthcoming with Cardboard House Press in April 2026.—
Noun
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Crucially, the eggs were fittingly fluffy, none of that rubbery nonsense that plague lesser burrito slingers.—
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All’s Fair is girlboss nonsense.—
Noun
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They were first identified using data from the SDSS-IV MaNGA survey, which maps how gas and stars move across entire galaxies.—
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Archival added that rescue efforts had been hampered by the fact that any sparks created by digging machinery could ignite methane gas emitted by the landfill, per the outlet.—
Noun
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Fortunately for music fans the world over, Barron overcame his disdain for music and rehearsing and grew to become one of the most top jazz pianists in the world — revered for both his technical prowess and ability to connect with both casual and serious jazz fans.—
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What dancemaker Morris says about Bacharach Morris, who has been at the forefront of inventive dance for decades, has set his evening-long dance concert to arrangements by jazz master Ethan Iverson.—
Noun
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Known for his extraordinary oratory skills, everyone who has been around Levy has a story to tell about his Marvisms and motivational speeches.—
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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.—
Noun
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Returning composer Johannes Ringen’s big orchestral score provides the kind of bombast that might as easily suit any multiplex-ready popcorn epic.—
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The resulting game evokes the bombast of Japanese kaiju movies, the wonder of prestige nature documentaries, and sometimes even the brutality of factory farming, all while remaining its own undeniably majestic beast.—
Noun
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Freed of the architectural fustian of the Frick’s Gilded Age home, the art breathes anew, each painting in its own world rather than entwined with others as part of a decorative ensemble.—
Cite this Entry
“Rhetoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rhetoric. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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