wheedle

verb whee·dle \ ˈhwē-dᵊl , ˈwē- \

Updated on: 20 May 2018

Definition of wheedle

wheedled; wheedling play \ˈ(h)wēd-liŋ, ˈ(h)wē-dᵊl-iŋ\

transitive verb

1 : to influence or entice by soft words or flattery

2 : to gain or get by wheedling

wheedle one's way into favor

intransitive verb

: to use soft words or flattery

See wheedle defined for English-language learners

See wheedle defined for kids

wheedle was our Word of the Day on 09/30/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of wheedle in a Sentence

He wheedled quite a bit of money from her.
She pleaded and wheedled, but I wouldn't be swayed.

Recent Examples of wheedle from the Web

Another is about a very loud teenage neighbor in the West Village who wheedles his way into her psyche.

— sophie haigney, San Francisco Chronicle, "‘Look Alive Out There: Essays,’ by Sloane Crosley," 4 May 2018
Give credit to Gutekunst for wheedling a 2019 first-round pick out of the Saints to move from 14 to 27 in the first round Thursday night.

— peter king, SI.com, "2018 Draft: Magnets, Mayfield and the Browns’ Big Secret," 30 Apr. 2018
He and his voice have been described as aloof, eerily neutral, silky, wheedling, controlled, baleful, unisex, droll, soft, conversational, dreamy, supremely calm and rational.

— gerry flahive, New York Times, "The Story of a Voice: HAL in ‘2001’ Wasn’t Always So Eerily Calm," 30 Mar. 2018
For decades, North Korean officials have angled to meet with a high-level U.S. representative using all measures of persuasion, whining, wheedling, threatening and even hostage-taking.

— barbara demick, latimes.com, "Whatever comes next, North Korea's Kim Jong Un can claim a win against Trump," 10 Mar. 2018
McCulloch: You’ve been nudged, cajoled, wheedled and implored.

— scott travis, Sun-Sentinel.com, "State orders plagiarizing principal to attend creative writing class," 8 Feb. 2018
Belle was both, often within the same encounter, wheedling information out of Union officers while wearing Confederate garb, often to comic effect.

— kat eschner, Smithsonian, "Belle Boyd, Civil War Spy," 9 May 2017
Jordan begged and wheedled and cajoled to get his grandmother to part with the recipe.

— providence cicero, The Seattle Times, "At JuneBaby, star chef Edouardo Jordan returns to his Southern roots," 22 June 2017
These are the result of ancient viruses that wheedled their way into our DNA, stayed there, and copied themselves again and again.

— ed yong, The Atlantic, "Now That We Can Read Genomes, Can We Write Them?," 10 May 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'wheedle.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

wheedle Comes Up Often in Literature

Wheedle has been a part of the English lexicon since the mid-17th century, though no one is quite sure how the word made its way into English. (It has been suggested that the term may have derived from an Old English word that meant "to beg," but this is far from certain.) Once established in the language, however, wheedle became a favorite of some of the language's most illustrious writers. Wheedle and related forms appear in the writings of Wordsworth, Dickens, Kipling, Dryden, Swift, Scott, Tennyson, and Pope, among others.

Origin and Etymology of wheedle

origin unknown

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1661

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

See Words from the same year

wheedle Synonyms

Synonym Discussion of wheedle

cajole, coax, soft-soap, blandish, wheedle mean to influence or persuade by pleasing words or actions. cajole suggests the deliberate use of flattery to persuade in the face of reluctance or reasonable objections.

- cajoled him into cheating on the final exam

coax implies gentle and persistent words or actions employed to produce a desired effect.

- coaxed the cat out of the tree

soft-soap refers to using smooth and somewhat insincere talk usually for personal gain.

- politicians soft-soaping eligible voters

blandish implies a more open desire to win a person over by effusive praise and affectionate actions.

- legislators blandished with promises of support

wheedle suggests more strongly than cajole the use of seductive appeal or artful words in persuading.

- hucksters wheedling her life's savings out of her

WHEEDLE Defined for English Language Learners

wheedle

verb

Definition of wheedle for English Language Learners

: to persuade someone to do something or to give you something by saying nice things

WHEEDLE Defined for Kids

wheedle

verb whee·dle \ ˈhwē-dᵊl , ˈwē- \

Definition of wheedle for Students

wheedled; wheedling

1 : to get (someone) to think or act a certain way by flattering : coax “You're such a good cook, you make dinner,” she wheedled.

2 : to gain or get by coaxing or flattering

He's trying to wheedle money out of them.

Learn More about wheedle

See words that rhyme with wheedle Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for wheedle Spanish Central: Translation of wheedle Nglish: Translation of wheedle for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of wheedle for Arabic speakers

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wheedle

Definition of wheedle

wheedle was our Word of the Day on 09/30/2014. Hear the podcast!

Examples of wheedle in a Sentence

Recent Examples of wheedle from the Web

wheedle Comes Up Often in Literature

Origin and Etymology of wheedle

wheedle Synonyms

Synonyms

Near Antonyms

Related Words

Synonym Discussion of wheedle

WHEEDLE Defined for English Language Learners

wheedle

Definition of wheedle for English Language Learners

WHEEDLE Defined for Kids

wheedle

Definition of wheedle for Students

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