Rhetoric Definition

Definition:   "About.com"

1. The study and practice of effective communication.


2. The study of the effects of texts on audiences.


3. The art of persuasion.


4. A pejorative term for insincere eloquence intended to win points and manipulate others.

Adjective:  rhetorical . 

Traditionally, the point of studying rhetoric has been to develop what Quintilian called facilitas, the capacity to produce appropriate and effective language in any situation.