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
  • Kelly isn’t capable of lifting cars or running 60 miles per hour; his true strength seems to lie in the power of persuasion.
    Michael Silver, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Human connection, never mind persuasion, is rarely a matter of a single conversation, but rather the work of months or years, maybe a lifetime.
    Alex Kotlowitz, The Atlantic, 29 Oct. 2025
Noun
  • After the score was tied at 23 at the end of regulation, the Raiders matched a Jaguars touchdown in overtime but failed on the 2-point conversion in front of their home crowd.
    Ric Sanchez, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Then, after Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for a two-point conversion to trim a 15-point deficit to seven, the defense did its part.
    Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 3 Nov. 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.
    Jacob Camenker, USA Today, 2 Nov. 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.
    Lillian Metzmeier, Louisville Courier Journal, 27 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Suasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suasion. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

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