as in convincing
the act of reasoning or pleading with someone to accept a belief or course of action
no amount of persuading could make her change her mind
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in satisfying
to cause (someone) to agree with a belief or course of action by using arguments or earnest request
she persuaded us that she can indeed communicate with the dead he persuaded his teachers to grant an extension
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of persuading
Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Each distortion is what happens when the body does the persuading, and the ideas are just the wardrobe.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
But Putin cannot have needed much persuading to agree to a formal invitation to the US to have the bilateral meeting his team have long held out as the way towards peace in Ukraine.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
In the framework of conversational intelligence, most workplace communication falls into Level 1 (telling) or Level 2 (persuading).
—Susan Curtin, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
Candidates must position themselves as entertainers, performing for voters rather than persuading them.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Pino’s attorneys were unsuccessful in persuading Tinkler Mendez to bar the claim from being mentioned in the trial.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
After persuading state lawmakers to give it more time, New York City Public Schools released a plan to reduce class sizes that allocates $244 million to hire new teachers across 360 schools.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
Public transport capacity may be stretched, and persuading LA residents and visitors to avoid cars while the Games are on could prove difficult.
—New Atlas, 9 June 2026
The employees may have been unwitting participants in the scheme, with Rush persuading one of his colleagues to direct millions of dollars to the program through a fraudulent government contract.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026
Schnur said many voters appear to have already formed opinions about Bass’ first term, meaning the mayor’s path to reelection may depend less on changing minds about her record and more on persuading voters that the alternative would be worse.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 3 June 2026
Those include persuading a critical number of merchants to accept payments from agents, while also determining who is responsible for failed and fraudulent transactions.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 27 May 2026
Noun
The 70-year-old was explaining how the revival came about through years-long persuading of Emmy-winning creator and executive producer Linwood Boomer.
—Mekishana Pierre, Entertainment Weekly, 7 Apr. 2026
Each distortion is what happens when the body does the persuading, and the ideas are just the wardrobe.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
But Putin cannot have needed much persuading to agree to a formal invitation to the US to have the bilateral meeting his team have long held out as the way towards peace in Ukraine.
—Nick Paton Walsh, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2025
In the framework of conversational intelligence, most workplace communication falls into Level 1 (telling) or Level 2 (persuading).
—Susan Curtin, Forbes.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
For a service built on impulse viewing, telco deals buy instant reach and built-in billing in price-sensitive markets where persuading users to sign up directly can be hard.
—Patrick Brzeski, HollywoodReporter, 18 June 2026
Candidates must position themselves as entertainers, performing for voters rather than persuading them.
—Alex Ross, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
Pino’s attorneys were unsuccessful in persuading Tinkler Mendez to bar the claim from being mentioned in the trial.
—David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 12 June 2026
After persuading state lawmakers to give it more time, New York City Public Schools released a plan to reduce class sizes that allocates $244 million to hire new teachers across 360 schools.
—Cayla Bamberger, New York Daily News, 11 June 2026
Public transport capacity may be stretched, and persuading LA residents and visitors to avoid cars while the Games are on could prove difficult.
—New Atlas, 9 June 2026
The employees may have been unwitting participants in the scheme, with Rush persuading one of his colleagues to direct millions of dollars to the program through a fraudulent government contract.
—Rena Rowe, The Washington Examiner, 6 June 2026
Schnur said many voters appear to have already formed opinions about Bass’ first term, meaning the mayor’s path to reelection may depend less on changing minds about her record and more on persuading voters that the alternative would be worse.
—Teresa Liu, Daily News, 3 June 2026
Those include persuading a critical number of merchants to accept payments from agents, while also determining who is responsible for failed and fraudulent transactions.
—Jeff John Roberts, Fortune, 27 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuading
Noun
-
Despite the challenges, several customers praised branch employees for helping them through the conversion.—
Jasmine Arenas,
CBS News,
24 June 2026
-
Certain models of handguns can allow semi-automatic guns to fire without repeatedly pulling the trigger, if an accessory called a machine gun conversion device is installed.—
Noe Padilla,
USA Today,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
Pixar’s cruelest and cleverest trick has been successfully convincing audiences, over several decades, that all kinds of creatures—even inanimate objects—can have rich inner lives.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
19 June 2026
-
Calibration does not mean pretending everything is fine or convincing yourself to ignore real financial gaps.—
Kristin Vance Richards,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2026
Noun
-
Future confrontations are expected, potentially involving bio-weapons or large-scale persuasion, demanding faster, proactive regulatory responses and international coordination.—
Craig S. Smith,
Forbes.com,
19 June 2026
-
Hughton says conversations with potential new players from the diaspora tended not to involve persuasion.—
Simon Hughes,
New York Times,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
To make this satisfying meal, toss everything in your air fryer and come back 20 minutes later.—
Lizzy Briskin,
Better Homes & Gardens,
17 June 2026
-
Unlike Magazine Dreams, the modest but satisfying Test avoids the lurid descent into violent psychodrama that swerved into hallucinatory Taxi Driver territory and undercut that film’s integrity.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
16 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Persuading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuading. Accessed 25 Jun. 2026.
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