Rhetors

Rhetors are individuals who are skilled in rhetoric, the art of persuasion, or who teach that art. The term derives from the Greek rhētōr, meaning a public speaker or lecturer, and in Latin usage a rhetor was a professional instructor of rhetoric.

In classical antiquity, rhetors played a central role in education and public life. They trained students in making arguments, arranging discourse, and delivering speeches for legal cases, political assemblies, and civic affairs. The Sophists and later schools, such as Isocrates’ academy, emphasized the practical aspects of persuasion, memory, and style. Rhetorical training aimed to produce effective communicators capable of influencing juries, councils, and audiences.

In Rome, rhetor was used for professional teachers of rhetoric who prepared speakers for public and legal settings. Over time, the term appears in Byzantine and medieval contexts as part of the broader Latin and Greek rhetorical tradition. While the label “rhetor” becomes less common in everyday English, it endures in scholarly discourse and historical descriptions of rhetorical instruction.

In contemporary usage, a rhetor may refer to a practitioner who employs rhetorical techniques in writing or speaking, or to a theorist who studies rhetoric. The broader category often covers orators, rhetoricians, and communication coaches. Notable figures associated with the tradition include Isocrates, Cicero, and Quintilian, whose works shaped theories and pedagogy of persuasion for centuries.