dissuade

1 of 2

verb

dis·​suade di-ˈswād 

dissuaded; dissuading

transitive verb

1

a

: to advise (a person) against something

… dissuading us from base thoughts, low ends, ignoble gains …

—A. T. Quiller-Couch

b

archaic : to advise against (an action)

2

: to turn from something by persuasion

unable to dissuade him from going

dissuader noun

dissuader

2 of 2

noun

dis·​suad·​er

-də(r)

plural -s

: one that dissuades from a course of action

Synonyms of dissuade

Verb

• discourage
• deter

Examples of dissuade in a Sentence

Verb

Our warnings did not dissuade them.

tried to dissuade her from her intention to drop out of college

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

Altering that process significantly enough to ease that bottleneck would likely come with other trade-offs, experts said, such as earlier deadlines to turn in certain ballots or more time-consuming ballot drop-offs — either of which might dissuade some voters from showing up. —Grace Toohey, Los Angeles Times, 14 June 2026

Such gaps between word and deed do not dissuade investors – leading me to think of the following question. —Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

His recent controversies didn’t dissuade her from supporting him. —Patrick Whittle, Fortune, 10 June 2026

That did not dissuade them from signing on for that November friendly. —Felipe Cardenas, New York Times, 10 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

Middle French or Latin; Middle French dissuader, from Latin dissuadēre, from dis- + suadēre to urge — more at sweet

First Known Use

Verb

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for dissuade

• afraid
• allayed
• arcade
• arrayed
• assayed
• barmaid
• betrayed
• blockade
• bridesmaid
• brigade
• brocade
• buffeted

Kids Definition

dissuade

verb

dis·​suade dis-ˈwād 

dissuaded; dissuading

: to persuade or advise not to do something