as in convincing
the act of reasoning or pleading with someone to accept a belief or course of action a defense lawyer uses not only legal arguments but also moral suasion to appeal to a jury's sense of right and wrong

Synonyms & Similar Words

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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 suasion Finally, the original Concert vision embraced formal deliberation and moral suasion as the key mechanism of collaborative foreign policy. Stacie E. Goddard, Foreign Affairs, 22 Apr. 2025 The 60th anniversary of President Lyndon Johnson’s famous March 15, 1965, voting rights speech is an important reminder of the power of moral suasion when applied in support of basic democratic principles. Michael Peregrine, Chicago Tribune, 14 Mar. 2025 To that end, an objection by an athlete who is a class member and who stands to lose out from the settlement’s approval will likely have suasion. Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 7 Feb. 2025 Some will argue that self-expression is the goal, others moral suasion; some will prefer soft power to storming the barricades and some the reverse. Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024 See All Example Sentences for suasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suasion
Noun
  • If one partner hesitates, resist the urge to fill the space with persuasion.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 7 Sep. 2025
  • But whoever said that is clearly not of the female persuasion.
    Max Gao, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • Transactions across 300 stores, e-commerce, loyalty scans, TikTok Shop sales, creator posts, and affiliate conversions all flow into systems built by Chief Digital and Information Officer Shirley Gao.
    Jamie Gutfreund, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2025
  • Williams and the Bears began to stall completely on securing crucial third down conversions.
    James Brizuela, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 Sep. 2025
Noun
  • The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.
    Stephanie Kuzydym, The Courier-Journal, 3 Sep. 2025
  • The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.
    Ethan Hylton, IndyStar, 20 Aug. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Suasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suasion. Accessed 15 Sep. 2025.

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