as in cajolery
a nice thing that someone says or does to persuade another to do something
He finally succumbed to his children's blandishments and allowed them to stay up past their bedtime.
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Recent Examples of blandishment
The fateful lane change arose out of one mayor’s resistance to such blandishments.
—
Ephrat Livni, Quartz, 7 May 2020
Her 2014 autobiography, A Fighting Chance, and recent stump speeches are festooned in pep club spirit and folksy blandishments, cloying bits of business that have attached themselves to her life story.
—Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 13 Feb. 2020
The region’s main powers, Australia and New Zealand, fear the creation of a mendicant state on their doorsteps, susceptible, in particular, to Chinese bribes and blandishments.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
Having failed to win the Japanese around with blandishments, an increasingly desperate-looking Senard has reached for the stick.
—Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for blandishment
Ephrat Livni, Quartz, 7 May 2020
Her 2014 autobiography, A Fighting Chance, and recent stump speeches are festooned in pep club spirit and folksy blandishments, cloying bits of business that have attached themselves to her life story.
—Caroline Fraser, The New York Review of Books, 13 Feb. 2020
The region’s main powers, Australia and New Zealand, fear the creation of a mendicant state on their doorsteps, susceptible, in particular, to Chinese bribes and blandishments.
—The Economist, 18 Dec. 2019
Having failed to win the Japanese around with blandishments, an increasingly desperate-looking Senard has reached for the stick.
—Washington Post, 18 Sep. 2019
See All Example Sentences for blandishment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for blandishment
Noun
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Yet once inside, the venue is undeniably a tribute to the all-American charm the label is so synonymous with.—
Nick Remsen,
Vogue,
5 Feb. 2026
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However, the range has expanded over the years to incorporate mixed-metal designs, such as yellow gold chain necklaces with resin charms and minimalist statement earrings made from silver or gold-plated brass.—
Kristina Rutkowski,
Glamour,
5 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Rodeo Shop moves to Fort Worth Edythe and Noel Cohen, a New Jersey couple, moved their Rodeo Shop to Fort Worth in 1964 at the urging of a famous customer — cowboy Jim Shoulders, who won 16 world championships.—
Hollace Ava Weiner,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 Feb. 2026
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At the urging of the acclaimed director, Welch asked the Schitt’s Creek alum on a date, and the rest is history.—
McKinley Franklin,
PEOPLE,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Hey, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, eh?—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
17 Feb. 2026
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These evocations of the French master in a daily newspaper are not the stuff of flattery.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
2 Feb. 2026
Noun
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The entreaties have often fallen flat; the Klaxon can only be sounded so many times before it’s ignored, and, for most people, more prosaic issues govern their daily existence.—
Michael Luo,
New Yorker,
27 Jan. 2026
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That decision was prompted in no small part by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s entreaties to Trump.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
22 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Checkers can see your shortcuts, your reportorial wheedling, your blind spots.—
Zach Helfand,
New Yorker,
25 Aug. 2025
Noun
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Trump’s exhortations to the oil industry dovetail with a broader push to address cost-of-living concerns weighing heavily on Republicans’ bid to maintain control of Congress in November’s midterm elections.—
Bloomberg Wire,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Jan. 2026
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In Queen Mother, Farmer takes a clear-eyed look at Moore’s foibles, noting her absenteeism during her son’s formative years, her embrace of patriarchal hierarchy in Black communities, and her exhortations for Black women to embrace polygyny to facilitate nation building.—
Dara T. Mathis,
The Atlantic,
16 Dec. 2025
Noun
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Pushing, pulling and coaxing wins out of his team amid bleak situations is what Tomlin does.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Her Sharon Coombs is a high-end insurance broker who hawks pricey policies to wealthy clients, sugaring her pitch with a hint of seduction.—
Owen Gleiberman,
Variety,
11 Feb. 2026
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But the seductions of ChatGPT are hard to resist, and Marsicano noted that the college has seen an increase in code violations due to AI.—
Ian Bogost,
The Atlantic,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Blandishment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blandishment. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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