/ English Dictionary |
RHETORICAL
Pronunciation (US): | (GB): |
I. (adjective)
Sense 1
Meaning:
Given to rhetoric, emphasizing style at the expense of thought
Example:
mere rhetorical frippery
Classified under:
Similar:
bombastic; declamatory; large; orotund; tumid; turgid (ostentatiously lofty in style)
flowery; ornate (marked by elaborate rhetoric and elaborated with decorative details)
empurpled; over-embellished; purple (excessively elaborate or showily expressed)
forensic (of, relating to, or used in public debate or argument)
grandiloquent; magniloquent; tall (lofty in style)
oratorical (characteristic of an orator or oratory)
poetic; poetical (characteristic of or befitting poetry)
stylistic (of or relating to style (especially in the use of language))
Also:
figurative; nonliteral ((used of the meanings of words or text) not literal; using figures of speech)
fancy (not plain; decorative or ornamented)
Antonym:
unrhetorical (not rhetorical)
Derivation:
rhetoric (study of the technique and rules for using language effectively (especially in public speaking))
Sense 2
Meaning:
Example:
the rhetorical sin of the meaningless variation
Classified under:
Relational adjectives (pertainyms)
Pertainym:
rhetoric (using language effectively to please or persuade)
Derivation:
rhetoric (study of the technique and rules for using language effectively (especially in public speaking))