rhetorically
Americanadverb
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in a way that uses language for style or effect.
These essays discuss how the term participatory has been deployed rhetorically by a range of institutions.
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not expecting an answer, either because the answer is unknowable or because it is obvious.
I am not asking the question rhetorically or snidely.
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in way that uses language in an exaggerated way.
The realities of the global marketplace are quite apparent; they don't need to be rhetorically beaten to death.
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in a way that uses specialized literary language, such as figures of speech.
Some of the entries are concise, but most of them are verbally and rhetorically elaborate.
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in a way that uses language particularly effectively.
Her testimony was rhetorically strong, but scientifically weak.
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using words, especially in the absence of action.
He fails to demonstrate the validity of his claims, but merely asserts them rhetorically.
Other Word Forms
- nonrhetorically adverb
- unrhetorically adverb
Etymology
Origin of rhetorically
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
But for many, the absence of a Capitol tribute underscores a familiar tension: America celebrates its reformers rhetorically, even as its institutions struggle to fully honor them.
From Salon
“Fed leaders would be well served to skip opportunities to share their latest musings. The swivel-chair problem, rhetorically waxing and waning with the latest data release, is common and counterproductive,” Warsh said last April.
From MarketWatch
Even as his position toughened rhetorically today, those around Sir Keir remain resistant to pressure for him to deliver the full-throated 'Love Actually moment' some in Labour desire.
From BBC
Altman asked rhetorically in a June podcast appearance with his brother.
“The fact that defensives are underperforming, is that a good thing or a bad thing?” he asked, rhetorically.
From Barron's
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
