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
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
Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The network seemed to have trouble persuading actual stars to perform.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
But much like Howard Jarvis feared, the tax-and-spend interests have sought to destroy Proposition 13 ever since, most recently by persuading courts to carve loopholes in its constitutional protections and invent new ways for government agencies to raise revenue.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
Elizabeth Stage, whose Oakland hills home barely escaped the deadly 1991 firestorm, and whose work as president of the Oakland FireSafe Council involves persuading residents to adopt Zone 0 measures, said the study would be a helpful, persuasive tool.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
Getting anything done is hard and takes persuading, cajoling, or even sucking up, depending on who is at the receiving end.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The end result would be a chill bar night in our town in suburban Tacoma, Washington, for which Zachary felt a deep ambivalence; persuading him to attend the 10-year had already been a herculean task.
—Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
His campaign style may have energized conservative downstate voters, but Illinois governors can’t be elected without persuading suburban moderates, and Bailey did little to even try.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
With the film world descending on the Venice Film Festival today, Elev8on will be in Italy persuading potential partners about the virtues of their tech.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Aug. 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
Verb
For many owners, the nightly ritual of persuading a pet to leave the bed is an ongoing negotiation—one that frequently ends with the animal winning.
—Melissa Fleur Afshar, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The network seemed to have trouble persuading actual stars to perform.
—Rob Sheffield, Rolling Stone, 8 Sep. 2025
But much like Howard Jarvis feared, the tax-and-spend interests have sought to destroy Proposition 13 ever since, most recently by persuading courts to carve loopholes in its constitutional protections and invent new ways for government agencies to raise revenue.
—Jon Coupal, Oc Register, 7 Sep. 2025
Elizabeth Stage, whose Oakland hills home barely escaped the deadly 1991 firestorm, and whose work as president of the Oakland FireSafe Council involves persuading residents to adopt Zone 0 measures, said the study would be a helpful, persuasive tool.
—Ethan Baron, Mercury News, 7 Sep. 2025
Getting anything done is hard and takes persuading, cajoling, or even sucking up, depending on who is at the receiving end.
—Shivaram Rajgopal, Forbes.com, 6 Sep. 2025
The end result would be a chill bar night in our town in suburban Tacoma, Washington, for which Zachary felt a deep ambivalence; persuading him to attend the 10-year had already been a herculean task.
—Jordan Michelman, The Atlantic, 4 Sep. 2025
His campaign style may have energized conservative downstate voters, but Illinois governors can’t be elected without persuading suburban moderates, and Bailey did little to even try.
—The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Sep. 2025
With the film world descending on the Venice Film Festival today, Elev8on will be in Italy persuading potential partners about the virtues of their tech.
—Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuading
Verb
-
But convincing risk-averse regulators to approve data-sharing, even anonymized, will be a major hurdle.—
Roomy Khan,
Forbes.com,
11 Sep. 2025
-
And Cohere, too, is hoping to win over more than friends — by convincing enterprises, investors, and skeptics alike that ROI, not AGI, is the smarter bet.—
Sharon Goldman,
Fortune,
9 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
The veteran running back finished with a team-high 88 receiving yards, including a career-long catch of 55 that gave way to a touchdown and a two-point conversion.—
Oliver Thomas,
Forbes.com,
15 Sep. 2025
-
Barcelona’s municipal government, which has been contending with a housing crisis that stems, in part, from the conversion of many apartments into Airbnbs, has yet to decide whether to allow the demolition, but Sagrada Família officials are resolute.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
The garden is satisfying to Ramona.—
Caron Golden,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Other tasters agreed these anchovies had a meaty texture, which made each fillet a satisfying several bites.—
Bon Appétit,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
Politically motivated uses of force are a categorical assault on individual rights and on the American method of persuasion over force.—
Agustina Vergara Cid,
Oc Register,
13 Sep. 2025
-
Yet the effect on credible persuasion of other Americans is statistically limited.—
Jeremy Lott,
The Washington Examiner,
12 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persuading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuading. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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