1. people who are skilled in or teach the art of rhetoric; experts in effective speaking and writing
2. people who use language in a showy or artificial way, often to persuade or impress
Usage: often disapproving

Examples

• Ancient Greek rhetoricians developed many techniques still used in public speaking today.
• The university hired several renowned rhetoricians to teach in the communications department.
• Classical rhetoricians like Cicero and Quintilian wrote influential works on persuasive speech.
• Some politicians are skilled rhetoricians who can sway audiences with their words.
• The debate team studied the methods of famous rhetoricians to improve their arguments.
• Critics dismissed the speakers as mere rhetoricians who valued style over substance.
• Medieval rhetoricians adapted classical techniques for religious and scholarly purposes.