Search Result for "rhetoric": 
Wordnet 3.0

NOUN (4)

1. using language effectively to please or persuade;

2. high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation;
- Example: "the grandiosity of his prose"
- Example: "an excessive ornateness of language"
[syn: grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness, grandiloquence, rhetoric]

3. loud and confused and empty talk;
- Example: "mere rhetoric"
[syn: palaver, hot air, empty words, empty talk, rhetoric]

4. study of the technique and rules for using language effectively (especially in public speaking); 



The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48:

Rhetoric \Rhet"o*ric\, n. [F. rh['e]torique, L. rhetorica, Gr.
   ???? (sc. ???), fr. ??? rhetorical, oratorical, fr. ???
   orator, rhetorician; perhaps akin to E. word; cf. ??? to
   say.]
   1. The art of composition; especially, elegant composition in
      prose.
      [1913 Webster]

   2. Oratory; the art of speaking with propriety, elegance, and
      force. --Locke.
      [1913 Webster]

   3. Hence, artificial eloquence; fine language or declamation
      without conviction or earnest feeling.
      [1913 Webster]

   4. Fig. : The power of persuasion or attraction; that which
      allures or charms.
      [1913 Webster]

            Sweet, silent rhetoric of persuading eyes. --Daniel.
      [1913 Webster]


WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006):

rhetoric
    n 1: using language effectively to please or persuade
    2: high-flown style; excessive use of verbal ornamentation; "the
       grandiosity of his prose"; "an excessive ornateness of
       language" [syn: grandiosity, magniloquence, ornateness,
       grandiloquence, rhetoric]
    3: loud and confused and empty talk; "mere rhetoric" [syn:
       palaver, hot air, empty words, empty talk,
       rhetoric]
    4: study of the technique and rules for using language
       effectively (especially in public speaking)