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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in belief
an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge
he's of the persuasion that everything that happens in this world is part of a divine plan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
there was an inherent persuasion in his sonorous voice that made listeners put aside any misgivings about his message
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Recent Examples of persuasion
Fronted by 18-year-old singer and tololoche player Santy, the group channels generations of heritage with a modern persuasion.
—
Leila Cobo, Billboard, 30 Dec. 2025
Voters of all persuasions are feeling the pain, setting in motion a demand for tax fairness that could make 2026 an upset election season.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2025
That’s according to researchers from Oxford University and the London School of Economics who tested 19 language models on nearly 80,000 participants, in what may be the largest and most systematic investigation of AI persuasion to date.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025
Yet persuasion is an integral part of the scientific process.
—Beth Dufault, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persuasion
Leila Cobo, Billboard, 30 Dec. 2025
Voters of all persuasions are feeling the pain, setting in motion a demand for tax fairness that could make 2026 an upset election season.
—Betsy McCaughey, Boston Herald, 21 Dec. 2025
That’s according to researchers from Oxford University and the London School of Economics who tested 19 language models on nearly 80,000 participants, in what may be the largest and most systematic investigation of AI persuasion to date.
—Parmy Olson, Twin Cities, 21 Dec. 2025
Yet persuasion is an integral part of the scientific process.
—Beth Dufault, The Conversation, 15 Dec. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persuasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuasion
Noun
-
But the original radiates a kind of old-time religion; and while the music of Bowie’s version lacks some of that spirit, the words still carry it.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
-
This philosophy is his religion.—
Brian Truitt,
USA Today,
14 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The long hours spent fishing were also good for meditating and reinforced his belief in the destiny marked out for him.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The latter movie musical, directed and co-written by Mona Fastvold, tells the story of the titular founder of the Shakers, who brought her religious beliefs from England to America in the 18th century.—
Jack Smart,
PEOPLE,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The third down against the Chiefs shows all three at work and perhaps provided a blueprint for how Denver can maximize Nix’s effectiveness in the postseason.—
Parker Gabriel,
Denver Post,
12 Jan. 2026
-
It was used with extreme effectiveness by Adolf Hitler during the 1930s and continued until his death by suicide in 1945.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The feds in the last couple years began targeting websites, businesses and individuals who were selling, importing, and exporting machine gun conversion devices.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Hailing from Peking University, the researchers combined two novel devices to match the frequency conversion into a multi-physics-domain architecture.—
Atharva Gosavi,
Interesting Engineering,
13 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
This Austrian estate is a cult brand even in Japan, and its red blend of blaufränkisch and Zweigelt is spicy, juicy, cherry-scented and perfect for chilling.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
13 Jan. 2026
-
Look no further than the uproar this week over Wegmans, the supermarket chain know n for its cult-like following.—
Nathaniel Meyersohn,
CNN Money,
12 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But Jennings' liberal attitude toward the airing of his opinions, regardless of their content, almost cost him the job.—
Ryan Coleman,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Lawmakers critical of the military action argue the rationale in the opinion is inadequate for the situation and have demanded that it be made public.—
Caitlin Yilek,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
But his dictionary, with its conclusiveness, was a huge publishing success.—
Louis Menand,
New Yorker,
22 Dec. 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
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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
Cite this Entry
“Persuasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuasion. Accessed 17 Jan. 2026.
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