rhetorical question

English

Pronunciation

• Audio (Mid-Atlantic)

  (file)

Noun

Examples
Do you really think it is necessary? Can't you do anything right? Who could possibly believe that this treatment is just? If someone told you to jump off a bridge, would you do it?

rhetorical question (plural rhetorical questions)

1. A question posed only for dramatic or persuasive effect.
2. (colloquial) A question to which the asker does not expect an answer.

   Are you nuts? Don't answer that – it's a rhetorical question.

Translations

question posed for dramatic or persuasive effect

• Arabic: اِسْتِفْهَام مَجَازِيّ‎ m (istifhām majāziyy)
• Catalan: pregunta retòrica f
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 反問句／反问句 (zh) (fǎnwènjù)

• Czech: řečnická otázka f
• Finnish: retorinen kysymys
• French: question rhétorique (fr)
• Galician: pregunta retórica f
• German: rhetorische Frage (de) f
• Hungarian: költői kérdés
• Icelandic: retorísk spurning f, ræðuspurning f
• Japanese: 修辞疑問 (しゅうじぎもん, jūji gimon), 反語 (ja) (はんご, hango)
• Kazakh: шешендік мәселе (şeşendık mäsele)
• Kurdish:

  Northern Kurdish: pirsa retorîk f

• Macedonian: реторичко прашање n (retoričko prašanje)
• Malay: soalan retorik
• Maori: ui makihoi, ui mākoi, pātai mākoi
• Polish: pytanie retoryczne (pl) n, pytania retoryczne n pl
• Portuguese: pergunta retórica f
• Romanian: interogație retorică (ro) f, întrebare retorică f
• Russian: ритори́ческий вопро́с (ru) m (ritoríčeskij voprós)
• Spanish: pregunta retórica f
• Swedish: retorisk fråga c
• Turkish: cümle değerli soru, retorik soru, tümce değerli soru
• Ukrainian: ритори́чне запита́ння n (rytorýčne zapytánnja)
• Yoruba: ìbéèrè pèsìjẹ

question to which no answer is expected

• Finnish: retorinen kysymys
• Ukrainian: ритори́чне запита́ння n (rytorýčne zapytánnja)
• Yoruba: ìbéèrè pèsìjẹ