1
as in convincing
the act of reasoning or pleading with someone to accept a belief or course of action the suffragists' gradual persuasion of the American people that voting rights had to be extended to women

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2
as in religion
a body of beliefs and practices regarding the supernatural and the worship of one or more deities debating theology with someone of a different persuasion

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun persuasion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of persuasion are belief, conviction, opinion, sentiment, and view. While all these words mean "a judgment one holds as true," persuasion suggests a belief grounded on assurance (as by evidence) of its truth.

was of the persuasion that everything changes

When might belief be a better fit than persuasion?

In some situations, the words belief and persuasion are roughly equivalent. However, belief implies often deliberate acceptance and intellectual assent.

a firm belief in her party's platform

When could conviction be used to replace persuasion?

The meanings of conviction and persuasion largely overlap; however, conviction applies to a firmly and seriously held belief.

the conviction that animal life is as sacred as human

When is opinion a more appropriate choice than persuasion?

The words opinion and persuasion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, opinion implies a conclusion thought out yet open to dispute.

each expert seemed to have a different opinion

Where would sentiment be a reasonable alternative to persuasion?

The synonyms sentiment and persuasion are sometimes interchangeable, but sentiment suggests a settled opinion reflective of one's feelings.

her feminist sentiments are well-known

When can view be used instead of persuasion?

The words view and persuasion can be used in similar contexts, but view suggests a subjective opinion.

very assertive in stating his views

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of persuasion Sjöberg Bildbyrå/ullstein bild/Getty Images Else-Marie’s persuasion and persistence pushed Elmqvist and Senning to move from animal tests to human trials, with Arne as their first case study. IEEE Spectrum, 28 Aug. 2025 Powers of persuasion The digital afterlife industry, which manages a person's digital assets after their death, is expected to quadruple in size to nearly $80 billion dollars over the next decade. Chloe Veltman, NPR, 26 Aug. 2025 Low-propensity voters, a group that requires more information and persuasion to get out and vote, benefit much more from campaign contact. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Aug. 2025 So whoever replaces Powell may need to rely on their powers of persuasion on a Fed with more conflicting views. Jason Ma, Fortune, 24 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for persuasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuasion
Noun
  • The canonization of two people who died young comes as religion has been declining among young people, including American Catholics.
    Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 6 Sep. 2025
  • Before that, an indigenous population occupied the land with their own distinct languages, religions, and economies, many of which still exist today despite decades of brutal crackdowns from the Argentinian state.
    Zac Ntim, Deadline, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Contrary to her husband’s belief, she is not chased by paparazzi.
    Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 6 Sep. 2025
  • The vast majority of citizens no longer trust that hard work pays off and belief in the American dream has hit a record low.
    John Hope Bryant, Time, 6 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Davis said that the center has been around for 50 years speaks to its effectiveness in helping people achieve their goals.
    Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 9 Sep. 2025
  • The money would provide for beginning mechanical removal of the algae mass in the most problematic areas and setting up test areas for the effectiveness of algicides, Miller said.
    Keith Matheny, Freep.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Transactions across 300 stores, e-commerce, loyalty scans, TikTok Shop sales, creator posts, and affiliate conversions all flow into systems built by Chief Digital and Information Officer Shirley Gao.
    Jamie Gutfreund, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Williams and the Bears began to stall completely on securing crucial third down conversions.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Customers return for the Combo Loco deals, cult-favorite salsas, and staff who know their names.
    Lisa Cericola, Southern Living, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Michael Finch penned the screenplay, based on the iconic 1980s cult classic.
    Anthony D'Alessandro, Deadline, 8 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • This is 22 percentage points lower than in August 2020 when 70 percent of Americans had a positive opinion about the court.
    Kate Plummer, MSNBC Newsweek, 4 Sep. 2025
  • The views and opinions expressed in this column are the author's and do not necessarily reflect those of USA TODAY.
    Jennifer Jolly, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • 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
Noun
  • When travelers think of luxurious travel, buses aren't necessarily top of mind.
    Opheli Garcia Lawler, Travel + Leisure, 8 Sep. 2025
  • Lonely nights and a racing mind spiraled him into a deep depression.
    Alec Lewis, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Persuasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuasion. Accessed 10 Sep. 2025.

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