RHETORIC (RET ur ik) n the art of formal speaking or writing; inflated discourse
- A talented public speaker might be said to be skilled in rhetoric.
Rhetoric is often used in a pejorative sense to describe speaking or writing that is skillfully
executed but insincere or devoid of meaning.
- The political candidate’s speech that was long on drama and promises but short on
genuine substance was dismissed as mere rhetoric.
SQUANDER (SKWAHN dur) v to waste
- Jerry failed to husband his inheritance; instead, he squandered it on trips to Las Vegas.
TANGENTIAL (tan JEN shul) adj only superficially related to the matter at hand; not
especially relevant; peripheral
- The vice president’s speech bore only a tangential relationship to the topic that had been
announced. - Stuart’s connection with our organization is tangential; he once made a phone call from the
lobby of our building, but he never worked here. - When a writer or speaker “goes off on a tangent,” he or she is making a digression or
straying from the original topic.
VESTIGE (VES tij) n a remaining bit of something; a last trace
- An old uniform and a tattered scrapbook were the only vestiges of the old man’s career as a
professional athlete. - Your appendix is a vestige: It used to have a function, but now this organ does nothing.
The adjective form of vestige is vestigial (vuh STIJ ee ul).
- The appendix is referred to as a vestigial organ. It is still in our bodies, although it no
longer has a function. It is a mere vestige of some function our digestive systems no
longer perform.
VEX (veks) v to annoy; to pester; to confuse
- Margaret vexed me by poking me with a long, sharp stick.
The act of vexing, or the state of being vexed, is vexation. A vexed issue is one that is
troubling or puzzling.
- Stuck at the bottom of a deep well, I found my situation extremely vexing.
VIE (vye) v to compete; to contest; to struggle
- Sheryl vied with her best friend for a promotion.
- The two advertising agencies vied fiercely for the Lax-Me-Up account, which was worth
$100 million a year in billings.