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
Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
For Fahey and Lawler, the fair emerged from years spent persuading friends and collectors to visit the region.
—Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
The 16th and 17th century wars of religion saw reformers like Martin Luther painting the Roman Catholic Church in apocalyptic terms resulting in much bloodshed and likely persuading the Founding Fathers to include the disestablishment clause in the Constitution.
—Chloe Breyer, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Preller then made a franchise-changing move by persuading pitching coach Ruben Niebla to leave pitching-savvy Cleveland.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2026
That will mean persuading companies whose executives are still grappling with AI to start investing in a technology that few have begun to think about.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
The sensible course may no longer be persuading Kim to stop expanding his arsenal.
—Karishma Vaswani, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
And any first base playing time would likely require persuading Freddie Freeman to take a day off – not an easy task.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026
Adam Ziffer, a lawyer for MRC, appeared focused Tuesday on persuading jurors that Spacey had a medical issue that persisted even after his release from The Meadows.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
Noun
Each distortion is what happens when the body does the persuading, and the ideas are just the wardrobe.
—Alexis Coe, Vanity Fair, 18 Mar. 2026
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
Ever since the first caveman tricked his neighbor into trading a pile of rocks for some tasty mastodon steaks, con men have been persuading others to act against their own interests.
—Neil J. Rubenking, PC Magazine, 27 Mar. 2026
For Fahey and Lawler, the fair emerged from years spent persuading friends and collectors to visit the region.
—Jane Horowitz, Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
The 16th and 17th century wars of religion saw reformers like Martin Luther painting the Roman Catholic Church in apocalyptic terms resulting in much bloodshed and likely persuading the Founding Fathers to include the disestablishment clause in the Constitution.
—Chloe Breyer, New York Daily News, 22 Mar. 2026
Preller then made a franchise-changing move by persuading pitching coach Ruben Niebla to leave pitching-savvy Cleveland.
—Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2026
That will mean persuading companies whose executives are still grappling with AI to start investing in a technology that few have begun to think about.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 20 Mar. 2026
The sensible course may no longer be persuading Kim to stop expanding his arsenal.
—Karishma Vaswani, Twin Cities, 15 Mar. 2026
And any first base playing time would likely require persuading Freddie Freeman to take a day off – not an easy task.
—Bill Plunkett, Oc Register, 11 Mar. 2026
Adam Ziffer, a lawyer for MRC, appeared focused Tuesday on persuading jurors that Spacey had a medical issue that persisted even after his release from The Meadows.
—Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 10 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuading
Verb
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He’s forced to constantly rebuild his roster and spend his time off the court convincing wealthy alumni to donate so the program can lure and retain talent.—
Marissa Martinez,
NBC news,
27 Mar. 2026
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Cutting oil consumption may help combat soaring energy prices caused by the Iran war, but convincing Americans to burn less gasoline could prove difficult, according to economists.—
Megan Cerullo,
CBS News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
-
Formatting is preserved during conversions, which is critical for business and professional use.—
StackCommerce Team,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
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But when the game ended in a Rams loss that included a controversial two-point conversion call, Nacua repeated his criticisms of the officials on social media.—
Adam Grosbard,
Oc Register,
30 Mar. 2026
Verb
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The last two generations came of age in a world where digital birthday cards are standard, signatures are scrawled awkwardly using a finger and to-do shopping lists no longer offer the satisfying opportunity to scratch out item after item.—
Christopher Borrelli,
Chicago Tribune,
26 Mar. 2026
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Pair it with a crisp green salad for a satisfying meal.—
Georgeanne Brennan,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
Noun
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In order to stave off potentially bruising losses in November, Republicans of all persuasions are working to get on the same messaging page to pitch voters on why their party should stay fully in power over the next few years.—
Zachary Schermele,
USA Today,
28 Mar. 2026
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McCoy emphasized that the desire to incorporate more democratic oversight on the growth and development of artificial intelligence should unite people from all political persuasions who often otherwise disagree with each other.—
Jared Perlo,
NBC news,
19 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Persuading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuading. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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