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''rhetorical'' ▫ᴱᴺ｜Definition｜1st｜20260904152658-00-⌔

rhetorical - Wiktionary, the free dictionary

English

Adjective

rhetorical (not comparable)

• Part of or similar to rhetoric, the use of language as a means to persuade.
• Not earnest, or presented only for the purpose of an argument.
  • ✤ Unfortunately, she has used the attack as a launch pad for a bizarre and undercooked exercise in rhetorical bothsidesism, in which she argues that American Jews should be just as worried about college students who overzealously criticize Israel as they are about the aspiring Einsatzgruppen who shoot up shuls.¹
• (of a question) Asked for dramatic or persuasive effect, rather than to get an answer.
  • ✤ ‘“Are you an idiot? Actually, don’t answer that, it was rhetorical.”

Noun

rhetorical (plural rhetoricals)

• (education, dated) A study or exercise in rhetoric.

Etymology

From Middle English rethorycal, rethoricalle, rethorycall, from rethorik, rhetoric (noun) or Latin rēthoricus, rhētoricus, from Ancient Greek ῥητορικός (rhētorikós, “concerning public speaking”). By surface analysis, rhetoric +‎ -al.

Pronunciation

• (Received Pronunciation) IPA: /ɹɪˈtɒɹ.ɪ.kəl/, /ɹəˈtɒɹ.ɪ.kəl/
• (US) IPA: /ɹɪˈtɔɹɪkəl/, /ɹəˈtɔɹɪkəl/
• Audio (US): 🔊
• Audio (Australia): 🔊

Printed 2026-09-04.

(echo:: @ ⌗)

Footnotes

1. 2019 September 6, Jordan Weissman, “How Not to Fight Anti-Semitism”, in Slate ‎${}^{[1]}$: ↩

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