as in prayerful
asking humbly
a pleading husband seeking forgiveness once again from his long-suffering wife
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
as in plea
an earnest request
coldhearted tourists pointedly ignoring the pleadings of the city's many street urchins
Synonyms & Similar Words
as in arguing
to state (something) as a reason in support of or against something under consideration
can I plead temporary insanity for having made that foolish decision?
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of pleading
Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
In November, Johnson, fed up with McNamara’s disenchantment and his pleadings for a policy shift toward negotiations, announced that the defense secretary would depart the administration to lead the World Bank—in effect, firing him.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Hallie Golden, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Savannah and her siblings have shared several videos pleading for their mother's safe return.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pleading
Noun
Savannah and her family also released a tearful video pleading for Nancy's return.
—Joey Nolfi, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Feb. 2026
In November, Johnson, fed up with McNamara’s disenchantment and his pleadings for a policy shift toward negotiations, announced that the defense secretary would depart the administration to lead the World Bank—in effect, firing him.
—Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Verb
Savannah Guthrie and her two siblings have released a series of video statements pleading for the return of their mother and indicating a willingness to pay a ransom.
—Hallie Golden, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
Savannah and her siblings have shared several videos pleading for their mother's safe return.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 11 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for pleading
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pleading
Adjective
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The Sagrada Família was founded as an expiatory church, meaning that it would be financed by prayerful donations from people atoning for their sins.—
D. T. Max,
New Yorker,
15 Sep. 2025
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Pärt’s formulas, born out of long, prayerful periods with sacred texts, offer beauty in the warmth and friction of relationships: melody and tintinnabuli, word and the limits of language, sounds and silence.—
Jeffers Engelhardt,
The Conversation,
10 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Another category that would likely unnerve boards of directors, according to Minow, is close ties with Epstein following his controversial 2008 guilty plea to procuring a minor for prostitution.—
Matt Egan,
CNN Money,
18 Feb. 2026
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The prosecution and defense teams settled on the no contest plea in exchange for dropping the murder count.—
Andrew J. Campa,
Los Angeles Times,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Generally, the judges who’ve released detainees say the federal government is wrongly arguing that a statute that historically applied to migrants caught at the border can be applied to anyone seeking to gain legal status to remain in the United States.—
Cristóbal Reyes,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
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In 2014, the New York Times published a six-part series arguing for a repeal on the federal marijuana ban, comparing the government’s treatment of cannabis to the prohibition on alcohol in the 1920s.—
Elaine Mallon,
Baltimore Sun,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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Violators can be punished with fines up to $500 and three months in jail under one anti-begging law and with fines starting at up to $100 and 10 days in jail under a law against soliciting contributions from people in cars.—
Maureen Groppe,
USA Today,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
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This dynamic has produced a range of figures, from the late Sathya Sai Baba, who claimed to perform miracles, to Sri Sri Ravi Shankar, whose appeal lies in his widely popular Art of Living Foundation, which offers yoga and spiritual advice.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
6 Feb. 2026
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Savannah Guthrie opened the family’s plea by thanking supporters for their prayers before describing her mother as the heart of their family and making a direct appeal for contact, stressing Nancy Guthrie’s fragile health and urgent need for medication.—
Adam Sabes , Michael Ruiz , Greg Wehner,
FOXNews.com,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In reasoning training, study participants worked on the ability to solve problems that follow a serial pattern, like identifying the pattern in a letter or number series.—
Akshay Syal,
NBC news,
9 Feb. 2026
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But Sophie decides not to, reasoning that Benedict is only looking for the Lady in Silver, who’s a fantasy.—
Olivia Singh,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
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Or how about some actual depth in the rotation rather than a prayer circle for health and prospect progression?—
Dieter Kurtenbach,
Mercury News,
18 Feb. 2026
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Fasting is one of the pillars of Islam Fasting is one of the five pillars of Islam, along with the profession of faith, prayer, almsgiving and pilgrimage.—
Mariam Fam,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Council members Marc Whyte and Misty Spears opposed the move, contending that the city should not interfere with ICE’s work and doing so could result in lawsuits.—
Madison Iszler,
San Antonio Express-News,
12 Feb. 2026
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Of all of the non-playoff teams, Baltimore is the closest to contending.—
Mike Jones,
New York Times,
12 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Pleading.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pleading. Accessed 19 Feb. 2026.
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