Rhetorical Question
Preserved but no longer current.
The term in Logic for a question to which no considered answer is ex- pected or desired, the question having been asked to produce effect only. An example is the once-popular "Are we downhearted?" only asked to elicit the answer "No.
Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)
Sources & notes
Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.
Common questions
What does “Rhetorical Question” mean?
The term in Logic for a question to which no considered answer is ex- pected or desired, the question having been asked to produce effect only. An example is the once-popular "Are we downhearted?" only asked to elicit the answer "No.
Is “Rhetorical Question” formal or informal?
No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.