as in convincing
the act of reasoning or pleading with someone to accept a belief or course of action
a defense lawyer uses not only legal arguments but also moral suasion to appeal to a jury's sense of right and wrong
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suasion
All presidents have used leverage, often combined with moral suasion, personal relationships, public appeals, and other efforts, to attain their objectives in international affairs.
—
Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2020
Moral suasion can be even more powerful than policy.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
For that change to work, however, politicians and other influential figures will need to use moral suasion to attack the cultural fixation on gaining a four-year degree at any cost.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
Some will argue that self-expression is the goal, others moral suasion; some will prefer soft power to storming the barricades and some the reverse.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for suasion
Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2020
Moral suasion can be even more powerful than policy.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
For that change to work, however, politicians and other influential figures will need to use moral suasion to attack the cultural fixation on gaining a four-year degree at any cost.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
Some will argue that self-expression is the goal, others moral suasion; some will prefer soft power to storming the barricades and some the reverse.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for suasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suasion
Noun
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When healthcare communicators do this well—offering insight, not just persuasion—they are no longer seen as promoters.—
Christy Saia-Owenby,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
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Know More In April, Reddit lawyers sent formal legal demands to the University of Zurich, whose researchers used AI to impersonate actual users in an experiment on the powers of AI persuasion.—
Reed Albergotti,
semafor.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The conversion rate of customers who signed up for a vMVPD after dropping the bundle dropped to 13% during the three-month span, down from the year-ago 28.3%.—
Anthony Crupi,
Sportico.com,
20 June 2025
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The difference was stunning: almost 9x higher conversion.—
Lutz Finger,
Forbes.com,
20 June 2025
Noun
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The aim is ensuring that such payments compensate athletes for their right of publicity, and are not used as inducements to recruit or retain an athlete.—
Blair Kerkhoff,
Kansas City Star,
10 June 2025
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The Trump administration’s real agenda is the inspiration of fear and the inducement of conformity.—
George Liebmann,
Baltimore Sun,
21 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suasion. Accessed 30 Jun. 2025.
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