rhetorical

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.

Lincoln’s left hand rested on a stack of books, emphasizing his learning and rhetorical skill.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jul. 1, 2026

We would expect the next commission’s debate to be carried out in public using the standard rhetorical tricks of today — namely lies, deflection and personal abuse.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 23, 2026

He’ll face an unusual amount of disagreement among committee members as well as scrutiny over his own positions given his rhetorical shifts on inflation and Fed policy since he was nominated by President Donald Trump.

From Salon • Jun. 1, 2026

Times columnists Gustavo Arellano, Mark Z. Barabak and Anita Chabria absorbed the rhetorical blows, followed the heated back-and-forths and took in each and every one of the candidates’ myriad policy prescriptions.

From Los Angeles Times • May 15, 2026

Aristotle sought to rescue rhetoric from its place as a purely instrumental art: the highest rhetorical accomplishment, for Aristotle, was an expression of arete, or virtue.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith