rhetorical.

1. Relating to the use of language to persuade, emphasize, or shape an audience's response.

2. Asked to make a point rather than obtain information.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• rhetorical strategy
• rhetorical effect

On the page

The rhetorical strategy made a weak comparison seem compelling.

Usage notes

Primary category: academic / formal. Forms: Normally non-gradable; no ordinary comparative or superlative. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: analysis, evaluation, qualification. Commonness: moderately common.