RHETORIC Synonyms: 57 Similar and Opposite Words

rhetoric

noun

ˈre-tə-rik

Definition of rhetoric

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

Relevance

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

inarticulateness

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of rhetoric Transitioning his rhetoric As a state House member, Talarico acted in line with LGBT activist groups’ priorities on multiple occasions. — Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 21 Oct. 2026 Like Biden, in this cycle Lula found that a disconcerting number of his compatriots were unmoved by his calls to save democracy from those who would seek to undermine it—or didn’t buy into his rhetoric in the first place. — Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026 Others have pushed back against the harsh rhetoric from the president and top administration officials. — Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026 Broader studies of how politicians communicate also suggest that political rhetoric in the US has grown measurably more negative over time. — Caitlin Dewey, Vox, 21 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for rhetoric

Recent Examples of Synonyms for rhetoric

Noun

Helium plays an important role in wind, solar and nuclear energy production, space exploration, medical imaging and research.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
Gradually, contributions from nuclear fission and solar-, water-, and wind-power have augmented our supply.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of wind

Noun

Cadogan, a poetry lover, also worked with Laura Turner, creative producer at Beningbrough, to bring in a writer-in-residence.

— Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 24 Oct. 2026
His poetry has been published in Nine Mile, Doubly Mad, Pulsebeat, and The Lyric, and elsewhere.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of poetry

Noun

Halo 4, 5, and Infinite used sci-fi nonsense to transform him into this larger-than-life figure, rendering the rest of the UNSC largely powerless in the process.

— Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 23 Oct. 2026
These accusations are utter nonsense, concocted from distortions, half-truths and lies.

— Kathleen Parker, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of nonsense

Noun

The clear frontrunner was Chris Brown, a 16-year-old multi-threat from Virginia who sang, rapped, and danced like his limbs were made of gas-station inflatables.

— Clover Hope, Pitchfork, 25 Oct. 2026
Those figures largely predate the state’s move to universal free child care, which began in November 2025 and is funded by an oil and gas windfall.

— Martie Bowser, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of gas

Noun

Against the backdrop of seemingly endless violence, artists banded together and dabbled in soul, disco, and jazz as a salve to their suffering.

— Shy Clara Thompson, Pitchfork, 23 Oct. 2026
But my favorite ritual happened each evening in the Living Room lobby bar, where live jazz, complimentary bites, and a glass of the signature Opera Punch was a welcome sip after a day of exploration.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of jazz

Noun

The era of political oratory made stars of the unlikeliest speakers, whose photographs or transcripts can barely convey what felt to audiences like an electrical current.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 15 Oct. 2026
The painting, which had hung in the oratory for more than three centuries, has never been recovered.

— Miranda Jeyaretnam, Time, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of oratory

Noun

All the bombast and charisma of the music and the persona were made to feel depressingly small.

— Jeff Weiss, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
The problem with the abstract expressionists’ relentless courting of the sublime was that the process of distillation produced too much bombast.

— Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of bombast

Noun

Much of that singularity was centered in McCarthy’s prose, which ricocheted—sometimes gracefully, sometimes jarringly—between gruff matter-of-factness and soaring, biblical grandiloquence.

— Alex Shephard, The New Republic, 13 June 2023
Several of them can fly, and all have at least a touch of grandiloquence to them.

— Michael Nordine, Variety, 11 Aug. 2022

Definition of grandiloquence

Browse Nearby Words

rhapsody

rhetoric

rhetorical

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Style

“Rhetoric.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/rhetoric. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of rhetoric

noun

Example Sentences

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