inveigle

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb inveigle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of inveigle are decoy, entice, lure, seduce, and tempt. While all these words mean "to lead astray from one's true course," inveigle implies enticing by cajoling or flattering.

fund-raisers inveigling wealthy alumni

When is it sensible to use decoy instead of inveigle?

While in some cases nearly identical to inveigle, decoy implies a luring into entrapment by artifice.

attempting to decoy the enemy into an ambush

When might entice be a better fit than inveigle?

Although the words entice and inveigle have much in common, entice suggests drawing by artful or adroit means.

advertising designed to entice new customers

When could lure be used to replace inveigle?

The words lure and inveigle can be used in similar contexts, but lure implies a drawing into danger, evil, or difficulty through attracting and deceiving.

lured naive investors with get-rich-quick schemes

When is seduce a more appropriate choice than inveigle?

While the synonyms seduce and inveigle are close in meaning, seduce implies a leading astray by persuasion or false promises.

seduced by assurances of assistance

In what contexts can tempt take the place of inveigle?

The meanings of tempt and inveigle largely overlap; however, tempt implies the presenting of an attraction so strong that it overcomes the restraints of conscience or better judgment.

tempted by the offer of money

Examples 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 inveigle On hand for the séance is a thoroughly skeptical Poirot, inveigled to attend by a mystery-novelist friend, Ariadne Oliver. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023 Norman Mailer tried to inveigle his dinner guests into an orgy, and not long after wrote a cruel letter to Styron, breaking off their friendship. Marion Winik, Washington Post, 15 June 2023 At a ball where Byron was surrounded by a flock of ladies, Lamb inveigled the hostess to introduce her, and, having looked earnestly, wordlessly, into the poet’s face, Lamb immediately turned on her heel. Clare McHugh, Washington Post, 28 May 2023 Another threat that is likely to inveigle itself into the Web3 domain is phishing. Andrew Newman, Forbes, 4 May 2022 All of those thinly veiled efforts to inveigle an answer are met with a stock response. New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021 To reach Peru, Dr. Koepcke had to first get to a port and inveigle his way onto a trans-Atlantic freighter. New York Times, 18 June 2021 The two cell-surface proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to make contact with its target cells and inveigle its way into them would fit into this category. The Economist, 20 Aug. 2020 And, finally, he is lost at the very end of the world when he is sent on to Edinburgh, to inveigle his way into the affections of the Scottish King James VI, poised to become the English King James I upon Elizabeth’s death. Dominic Dromgoole, New York Times, 11 Feb. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inveigle
Verb
  • Four vulnerabilities in WebKit were fixed in iOS 18.2, allowing memory corruption if you were persuaded to interact with malicious web content.
    Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024
  • For Democrats who agree with Raskin, no amount of calls for returning to normalcy will persuade them to attend Trump's swearing-in ceremony.
    Phillip M. Bailey, USA TODAY, 13 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • The film was way ahead of its time with Fox as a demon possessed it girl, seducing and devouring mainly men.
    Paul Tassi, Forbes, 7 Dec. 2024
  • The first depicted a cheerleader seducing her boyfriend by jumping naked on a trampoline.
    Alison Foreman, IndieWire, 3 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Email newsletters are admittedly pretty common, but those that entice audiences to routinely click through and engage with their content are a rare breed.
    Jodi Amendola, Forbes, 17 Dec. 2024
  • China extends visa-free transit policy China has tripled the amount of time visitors can spend in the country without a visa in yet another move to entice more foreign tourists.
    Alexandra Banner, CNN, 17 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • West’s story is commonplace in the predatory world of post-graduate football, where thousands of young men have been lured by the promise of achieving their athletic aspirations, a USA TODAY investigation found.
    Kenny Jacoby, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
  • Adding satellite service could help Apple lure some Garmin inReach fans who might want to have one less thing to carry even if the inReach’s hundreds of hours of battery life still win out for extended hikes.
    Wes Davis, The Verge, 10 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • Heller calibrated simplified acting games for the kids but also used the kind of reverse psychology anybody can tempt a toddler with.
    Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 6 Dec. 2024
  • We were tempted to eat all our meals there because everything was so good.
    Lois Alter Mark, Forbes, 4 Dec. 2024
Verb
  • When foodies walk into the indoor/outdoor restaurant, they’re beguiled by the tropical décor and amazed by dishes encompassing flavors that can be savored in layers.
    Essence, Essence, 6 Dec. 2024
  • Yet, we were both beguiled by rhapsodic waves of sound produced by musical genius Quincy Jones, who collaborated on songs with artists ranging from Frank Sinatra to Jackson.
    David McGrath, Chicago Tribune, 28 Nov. 2024
Verb
  • The post has been liked more than 715,000 times to date, drawing in over 5,600 comments.
    Jason Fields, Newsweek, 5 Dec. 2024
  • People were drawn in by promises of interest as high as 17 percent on deposits—tens of times greater than the rate offered by banks at the time.
    Joel Khalili, WIRED, 4 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Inveigle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inveigle. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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