wheedling 1 of 2

noun

Definition of wheedlingnext
as in coaxing

Synonyms & Similar Words

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wheedling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of wheedle
as in cajoling
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery wheedled him into doing their work for them

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Examples Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for wheedling
  1. coaxing
  2. entreaty
  3. exhortation
  4. inducement
  5. blandishment
  6. suasion
Verb
  • Tech companies are slowly but surely coaxing filmmakers into tinkering with their AI tools.
    Brian Welk, IndieWire, 17 Oct. 2024
  • Like most gifted writers and producers who are better at helping others realize their vision than coaxing out one of their own, Finneas’ solo work comes off more like a killer job application than an argument for a unique artistic perspective.
    Jon Dolan, Rolling Stone, 3 Oct. 2024
Definition of coaxing
Noun
  • Casey ignored the production’s entreaties, but in the spring of 2021, Haddix met Cunningham and Liu for an introductory breakfast at a Holiday Inn Express.
    Lane Brown, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2024
  • But Israel appears to have limited the attacks, in line with entreaties from the Biden administration, perhaps avoiding swift escalation, for now.
    Ramin Mostaghim, Los Angeles Times, 26 Oct. 2024
Definition of entreaty
Noun
  • For all its exhortations about the future, Francis Ford Coppola's passion project is also heavily inspired by ancient Roman history.
    EW.com, EW.com, 27 Sep. 2024
  • With reality so often at odds with their idealized portrait, Gavin and Steinberg retreat into exhortation.
    James B. Steinberg, Foreign Affairs, 9 June 2020
Definition of exhortation
Noun
  • In football, especially, huge deals are used as inducements.
    Louisa Thomas, The New Yorker, 3 Nov. 2024
  • That included a conviction in 2010 for compensation or inducement for referral of clients who went to preferred medical providers to run up high bills.
    Don Lee, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oct. 2024
Definition of inducement
Noun
  • Impressed by the senator’s blandishments, the egoistic journalist argues military strategy and then faces a moment of conscience.
    Armond White, National Review, 17 May 2023
  • People want to hear blandishments about engagement and infrastructure.
    Rory Smith, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2023
Definition of blandishment
Noun
  • Moral suasion can be even more powerful than policy.
    Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
  • For that change to work, however, politicians and other influential figures will need to use moral suasion to attack the cultural fixation on gaining a four-year degree at any cost.
    Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
Definition of suasion
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.

Thesaurus Entries Near wheedling

wheedles

wheedling

wheel

See More Nearby Entries 

Cite this Entry

“Wheedling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/wheedling. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

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More from Merriam-Webster on wheedling

Nglish: Translation of wheedling for Spanish Speakers

Britannica English: Translation of wheedling for Arabic Speakers

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