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

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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

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Synonym Chooser

How does the noun persuasion contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of persuasion are belief, conviction, opinion, sentiment, and view. While all these words mean "a judgment one holds as true," persuasion suggests a belief grounded on assurance (as by evidence) of its truth.

was of the persuasion that everything changes

When might belief be a better fit than persuasion?

In some situations, the words belief and persuasion are roughly equivalent. However, belief implies often deliberate acceptance and intellectual assent.

a firm belief in her party's platform

When could conviction be used to replace persuasion?

The meanings of conviction and persuasion largely overlap; however, conviction applies to a firmly and seriously held belief.

the conviction that animal life is as sacred as human

When is opinion a more appropriate choice than persuasion?

The words opinion and persuasion are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, opinion implies a conclusion thought out yet open to dispute.

each expert seemed to have a different opinion

Where would sentiment be a reasonable alternative to persuasion?

The synonyms sentiment and persuasion are sometimes interchangeable, but sentiment suggests a settled opinion reflective of one's feelings.

her feminist sentiments are well-known

When can view be used instead of persuasion?

The words view and persuasion can be used in similar contexts, but view suggests a subjective opinion.

very assertive in stating his views

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of persuasion Expect vociferous opposition Inovev warned that reviving this entry-level sector would require some persuasion. Neil Winton, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025 Civic dialogue and persuasion remain. Lee Bebout, The Conversation, 16 Sep. 2025 When the eight-eyed wolf spider birthed more than 100 babies in his girlfriend's living room, Skyler Hutto had to use all his powers of persuasion to convince her not to slaughter them all. Keith Sharon, Nashville Tennessean, 16 Sep. 2025 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 See All Example Sentences for persuasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuasion
Noun
  • Together, with Muslims, Sikhs and Jehovah's Witnesses, the five religions comprise less than 7%.
    Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 4 Oct. 2025
  • Unlike every other country that has a death-penalty blasphemy law, Nigeria’s constitution states that no federal or state government may establish an official religion.
    Sean Nelson, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • Each item is intimately tied to the library space, reinforcing Assouline’s belief that a library is not merely a room but a sanctuary for ideas, aesthetics, and meaningful objects.
    Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 3 Oct. 2025
  • Nevertheless, analysts expressed confidence in the business, including a belief that AWS can return to topline growth north of 20%.
    Kevin Stankiewicz,Paulina Likos, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • There’s no denying the cost-effectiveness of investing in a high-quality luggage set, so this seasonal sale is the time to score the Coolife Luggage 4-piece Set while bags are only $34 apiece.
    Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 6 Oct. 2025
  • Young children have to use spacers, holding chambers that allow the patient to breathe in the medication slowly so more of it reaches the lungs, and a spacer would hinder a dry-powder inhaler’s effectiveness.
    Jen Christensen, CNN Money, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The conversion to an all-seater venue six years earlier had simply involved bolting bucket seats on to the existing shallow terraces.
    Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 7 Oct. 2025
  • And the Chiefs went 4-for-4 on fourth-down conversions to extend a trend with an NFL-high nine such conversions this season in 10 tries — after attempting all of 17 last season (12 successfully).
    Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 6 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • The cult’s leader, Steven Kamp, was obsessed with chess, and Rensch was quickly pulled into his orbit.
    Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 5 Oct. 2025
  • In the wake of the 2016 presidential election, anxiety-prone liberal Ally Mayfair-Richards (Paulson) crosses paths with a sinister, violent cult presided over by charismatic Kai (Peters).
    Declan Gallagher, Entertainment Weekly, 5 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • In their opinion, the bank hasn’t adequately compensated Epstein’s victims.
    Lily Mae Lazarus, Fortune, 8 Oct. 2025
  • All opinions expressed by the CNBC Pro contributors are solely their opinions and do not reflect the opinions of CNBC, NBC UNIVERSAL, their parent company or affiliates, and may have been previously disseminated by them on television, radio, internet or another medium.
    Frank Cappelleri, CNBC, 8 Oct. 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
Noun
  • Whether the Jedi mind trick played a role Sunday is hard to quantify, but the message was obvious.
    Nick Kosmider, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
  • But housing was also on the minds of the organizers.
    Ashley Hiruko, ProPublica, 6 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Persuasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuasion. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.

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