Rhetoric

On rhetoric by Aristotle

The study of all available means of persuasion
(The art of spinning the truth)

speech or writing intended to be effective and influence people:

How far the president will be able to translate his campaign rhetoric into action remains to be seen.

I was swayed by her rhetoric into donating all my savings to the charity

the study of the ways of using language effectively

clever language that sounds good but is not sincere or has no real meaning:
In reply to the question, he just produced a lot of empty (= meaningless) rhetoric.

Fewer examples

• He has toned down his rhetoric of late.
• This isn't just rhetoric.
• That may sound like rhetoric, a wild exaggeration.
• Before long, the same political rhetoric was repeated.
• Without a coherent set of policies to persuade the electorate, the Republicans have resorted to sloganeering and empty rhetoric.