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
Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
In other words, if Warsh were to succeed in persuading his colleagues on the Board and FOMC in slimming down the Fed — something not at all sure given the limited power of the Chair — there would be difficult tradeoffs.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Trump’s frenetic social media activity is also aimed more at titillating his hardcore online supporters (and, again, amusing himself) than persuading swing voters.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
To geoengineering proponents, persuading the 29 member nations of the Antarctic Treaty with decision-making power to try to build a sea curtain looks easier than persuading the 193 members of the United Nations to, say, try seeding the atmosphere with sun-blocking chemicals.
—Christian Elliott, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Instead of finding a cure, the campaign sought to break the worm's life cycle in communities suffering from the parasite —persuading millions to change their behavior.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The steady drumbeat of imagery out of Minnesota is persuading the last few persuadable voters that this deportation campaign has gone too far.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
RideSD has meanwhile had success persuading city planning officials to add more bus routes to new growth blueprints for neighborhoods across the city, including Mira Mesa, University City and the College Area.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Turkey has a strained relationship with Israel but good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the group to yield power in Gaza and disarm.
—Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
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
The lengths to which users have gone to try to keep GPT-4o alive, whether by persuading the company to keep it online or by preserving it themselves, speak to the importance the chatbot has taken in the lives of some of its users, potentially because of the nature of human psychology.
—Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 10 Feb. 2026
In other words, if Warsh were to succeed in persuading his colleagues on the Board and FOMC in slimming down the Fed — something not at all sure given the limited power of the Chair — there would be difficult tradeoffs.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 8 Feb. 2026
Trump’s frenetic social media activity is also aimed more at titillating his hardcore online supporters (and, again, amusing himself) than persuading swing voters.
—W. James Antle Iii, The Washington Examiner, 6 Feb. 2026
To geoengineering proponents, persuading the 29 member nations of the Antarctic Treaty with decision-making power to try to build a sea curtain looks easier than persuading the 193 members of the United Nations to, say, try seeding the atmosphere with sun-blocking chemicals.
—Christian Elliott, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
Instead of finding a cure, the campaign sought to break the worm's life cycle in communities suffering from the parasite —persuading millions to change their behavior.
—Dan Raby, CBS News, 30 Jan. 2026
The steady drumbeat of imagery out of Minnesota is persuading the last few persuadable voters that this deportation campaign has gone too far.
—Arkansas Online, 28 Jan. 2026
RideSD has meanwhile had success persuading city planning officials to add more bus routes to new growth blueprints for neighborhoods across the city, including Mira Mesa, University City and the College Area.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Jan. 2026
Turkey has a strained relationship with Israel but good relations with Hamas and could play an important role in persuading the group to yield power in Gaza and disarm.
—Cara Anna, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuading
Verb
-
Good vibes aside, convincing city officials to enact street closures for race routes is a complicated and often political process, and the margins on these events are typically low.—
Katie Bain,
Billboard,
11 Feb. 2026
-
But convincing him to go ahead with the house project took some effort.—
Mark Lamster
Architecture Critic,
Dallas Morning News,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Growth has slowed, discretionary spending is under pressure, and visibility alone — whether through celebrity endorsements, capsule collections, or familiar zodiac motifs — no longer guarantees resonance, let alone conversion.—
Yiling Pan,
Vogue,
17 Feb. 2026
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By shifting from static size charts to dynamic, conversational guidance, True Fit aims to reduce returns by billions of dollars while increasing conversion rates and consumer confidence.—
Alexandra Harrell,
Sourcing Journal,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Pizza fans can find casual, satisfying slices at Mezza Luna Pizza, which offers a relaxed, counter-service experience.—
Lauren Schuster,
Kansas City Star,
17 Feb. 2026
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And Gu’s defense of her 2019 decision, while satisfying few stateside, has never really changed.—
Zak Keefer,
New York Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The files are more proof that elites of all persuasions seem plenty comfortable saying the quiet part out loud or engaging in egregious, shameless behavior, banking on a culture that has given up on demanding consequences.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
14 Feb. 2026
-
Use your powers of persuasion as the moon and Mars harmonize.—
USA TODAY,
USA Today,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Persuading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuading. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
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