# rhetoric

Pronunciation: say "RET-uh-rik" /ˈɹɛtəɹɪk/

## Noun

1. The art of using language effectively, especially in public speaking, to persuade an audience.
   - Simple: The skill of using words well, especially in speeches, to convince people.
   - _The senator's command of rhetoric let her sway even hostile audiences._
   - _Courses in rhetoric teach students how to structure a persuasive argument._
2. Showy, exaggerated language that is intended to impress but carries little real meaning or substance.
   - Simple: Empty words with a fancy style, meant to impress but with no real meaning.
   - _The campaign offered plenty of rhetoric but few concrete proposals._
   - _Behind the soaring rhetoric, the policy paper said almost nothing._

## Adjective

Pronunciation: US say "ri-TOR-ik" /ɹɪˈtɔɹɪk/; UK say "ri-TO-rik" /ɹɪˈtɒɹɪk/

3. Relating to rhetoric or its persuasive techniques; synonymous with rhetorical.
   - Simple: Relating to rhetoric, the art of using words to persuade.

## Origin

**Meaning 3** — Ancient Greek ῥητορικός (rhētorĭkós) became Latin rēthoricus or rhētoricus and then Middle English rethorik. On the surface it can be analyzed as rhetor + -ic.
**Meanings 1–2** — The word goes back to Ancient Greek rhḗtōr ("public speaker"), which gave rhētorikós ("concerning public speech"). The phrase rhētorikḕ tékhnē ("rhetorical art") was shortened to rhētorikḗ, which became Latin rhētorica, Old French rhetorique and Middle English rethorik.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/rhetoric (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).