rhetorical en · ADJ
Pronunciation
- /ɹɪˈtɔɹɪkəl/ (US)
- (Australia) audio
- (US) audio
- /ɹəˈtɔɹɪkəl/ (US)
- /ɹɪˈtɒɹ.ɪ.kəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
- /ɹəˈtɒɹ.ɪ.kəl/ (Received-Pronunciation)
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.
Meanings
- (not-comparable) Part of or similar to rhetoric, the use of language as a means to persuade.
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(not-comparable) 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.
2019 September 6, Jordan Weissman, “How Not to Fight Anti-Semitism”, in Slate:
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(not-comparable, 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."
Deriveds
rhetoricalness · nonrhetorical · musicorhetorical · rhetorically · unrhetorical · antirhetorical · rhetorical mode · rhetorical induction · rhetorical device · retardical · rhetoricality · rhetorical question
Relateds
Translations (24)
sv retorisk (part of or similar to rhetoric) · pt retórico (part of or similar to rhetoric) · id retoris (part of or similar to rhetoric) · pl retoryczny (part of or similar to rhetoric) · bg риторичен (part of or similar to rhetoric) · fr rhétorique (part of or similar to rhetoric) · be рытары́чны (part of or similar to rhetoric) · hu szónoklattani (part of or similar to rhetoric) · de rhetorisch (part of or similar to rhetoric) · el ρητορικός (part of or similar to rhetoric) · nl retorisch (part of or similar to rhetoric) · id retorik (part of or similar to rhetoric) · hu retorikai (part of or similar to rhetoric) · ru ритори́ческий (part of or similar to rhetoric) · fi retorinen (part of or similar to rhetoric) · tr sözbilimsel (part of or similar to rhetoric) · uk ритори́чний (part of or similar to rhetoric) · cs řečnický (part of or similar to rhetoric) · da retorisk (part of or similar to rhetoric) · ca retòric (part of or similar to rhetoric) · es retórico (part of or similar to rhetoric) · grc ῥητορικός (part of or similar to rhetoric) · gv retrickagh (part of or similar to rhetoric) · gv so-loayrtagh (part of or similar to rhetoric)