rhet·o·ric/`rɛtərɪk; ˈretərɪk/ n [U] 1 when someone uses words that sound impressive, but are not sincere, especially in a political speech 〔尤指政治演讲中的〕煽动性语言; 空话，浮夸之词: Despite all the rhetoric, very little has been done to help the poor. 陈词尽管慷慨，于穷人却是相助无几。 2 the skill of using words effectively to persuade people, especially in a political speech 〔尤指政治演讲中的〕修辞学