rhe·tor·i·cal

[ri-tawr-i-kuhl, -tor-]
adjective
1.
used for, belonging to, or concerned with mere style or effect.
2.
marked by or tending to use bombast.
3.
of, concerned with, or having the nature of rhetoric.
Origin:
1470–80; < Latin rhētoric(us) (< Greek rhētorikós) + -al1

Related forms
rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverb
rhe·tor·i·cal·ness, noun
non·rhe·tor·i·cal, adjective
non·rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverb
un·rhe·tor·i·cal, adjective
un·rhe·tor·i·cal·ly, adverb

Synonyms
1. verbal, stylistic, oratorical.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2013.
Cite This Source Link To rhetorically
00:10
Rhetorically is always a great word to know.
So is quincunx. Does it mean:
an arrangement of five objects, as trees, in a square or rectangle, one at each corner and one in the middle.
a stew of meat, vegetables, potatoes, etc.
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Collins
World English Dictionary
rhetorical (rɪˈtɒrɪkəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  concerned with effect or style rather than content or meaning; bombastic
2.  of or relating to rhetoric or oratory
 
rhe'torically
 
—adv

rhetorical (rɪˈtɒrɪkəl) [Click for IPA pronunciation guide]
 
—adj
1.  concerned with effect or style rather than content or meaning; bombastic
2.  of or relating to rhetoric or oratory
 
rhe'torically
 
—adv

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 10th Edition
2009 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009
Cite This Source
Etymonline
Word Origin & History

rhetorical
late 15c., "eloquent," from L. rhetoricus (see rhetoric). Meaning "pertaining to rhetoric" is from 1520s. Rhetorical question is from 1843.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper
Cite This Source
Example sentences
She rhetorically asked--now that he was satisfied, was he going to stop seeing
  her.
The president was engaged in the war rhetorically but maintained an odd
  detachment from its management.
Rhetorically, science and metaphysics are incompatible.
Rhetorically, the use of confrontation seems to be advisable only when other
  approaches have failed.
Related Words
embroider flowery
flowery
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