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
Relevance
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
3
as in belief
an idea that is believed to be true or valid without positive knowledge
he's of the persuasion that everything that happens in this world is part of a divine plan
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
there was an inherent persuasion in his sonorous voice that made listeners put aside any misgivings about his message
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
Lawyers for the Biden administration have said there is a difference between legitimate persuasion and inappropriate coercion, and that communication channels between government and social media companies had to remain open for public safety reasons.
—
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
The human side of the Trust Stack is where persuasion and relationships take center stage.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
The first rule of telling and listening to stories is to strive for understanding, not persuasion.
—Kurt Gray, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
Alas, Ground News is merely a resource, not a platform for debate and persuasion.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persuasion
Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 26 Jan. 2025
The human side of the Trust Stack is where persuasion and relationships take center stage.
—Alexander Puutio, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025
The first rule of telling and listening to stories is to strive for understanding, not persuasion.
—Kurt Gray, TIME, 17 Jan. 2025
Alas, Ground News is merely a resource, not a platform for debate and persuasion.
—Yaakov Katz, Newsweek, 17 Jan. 2025
See All Example Sentences for persuasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for persuasion
Noun
-
By 1982, Marty was deemed one of the most influential figures in American religion, alongside evangelists Billy Graham and Jerry Falwell, in a poll published in The Christian Century that surveyed the editors of religious magazines.—
Bob Goldsborough,
Chicago Tribune,
27 Feb. 2025
-
Few other reports offer as comprehensive a picture of American religion, with the next closest being the Public Religion Research Institute’s American Values Atlas.—
Liam Adams,
USA TODAY,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
This team looked dead and buried midway through the second half, their miserable performance having been utterly bereft of energy and belief.—
Mark Critchley,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
-
But optimism, the belief that things can improve, and progress is possible, can be a powerful antidote to this struggle.—
Glenn Llopis,
Forbes,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In a sales scenario, for example, if a lead regularly visits the company's blog or engages with emails, AI agents can assign a score indicating a greater likelihood of interest and, ultimately, a higher chance of conversion.—
Gaurav Aggarwal,
Forbes,
20 Feb. 2025
-
The city has offered perks for building owners who apply for office-to-housing conversions, but many office spaces remain available.—
Steph Solis,
Axios,
19 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
Their budget sensibility, eccentricity, and tendency to grow a cult following have not only given the films long life, but inspired generations of modern filmmakers and fans.—
The Editors,
JSTOR Daily,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Hong Kong filmmaker To has a cult following worldwide on the back of pictures such as Breaking News, Election, Exiled, Mad Detective and Drug War.—
Melanie Goodfellow,
Deadline,
25 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The indiscriminate firing of probationary employees in the Forest Service and other federal agencies, in my opinion, violates the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978.—
Letters to the Editor,
Orlando Sentinel,
26 Feb. 2025
-
Even more so than in rehearsals, which were before the current administration had gone into office and before the election went south, in my opinion.—
Chris Willman,
Variety,
26 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
The Backlight was the first piece of hers that blew my mind.—
Lisa Wong Macabasco,
Vogue,
22 Feb. 2025
-
The Badgers, meanwhile, had been on fire lately and had ascended to a bona fide Final Four contender in the minds of many.—
Jim Root,
The Athletic,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In response, Mills argued that withholding federal funding would be unconstitutional, and framed the dispute as a larger conflict over the limits of presidential authority – which Trump has pushed in the first weeks of his second term.—
Zoe Sottile,
CNN,
22 Feb. 2025
-
Over time, authorities have said, the Pirus’ brand of violence went beyond street fights, escalating to killing, robbery and drug dealing.—
Libor Jany,
Los Angeles Times,
22 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
In the view of Trump’s critics, this is precisely what has occurred.—
Claire B. Wofford,
The Conversation,
25 Feb. 2025
-
This is an opinion and analysis article, and the views expressed by the author or authors are not necessarily those of Scientific American.—
Agustín Fuentes,
Scientific American,
25 Feb. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Persuasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/persuasion. Accessed 4 Mar. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share