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
Relevance
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 suasion
In this brilliant new look at the destruction of slavery during the American Civil War, Oakes reveals how the U.S. abolitionist movement relied not only on high-minded moral suasion but also on the small-bore legalistic strategy of the Republican Party.
—
James Oakes, Foreign Affairs, 27 Dec. 2012
Beyond moral suasion is a clear policy against any form of discrimination that happens to be taking place.
—Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023
As psychologist Asa Hilliard later explained, among those strategies were moral suasion, litigation, grassroots organizing, civil disobedience, economic boycotts, the solicitation of corporate sponsors and the use of television.
—Bev-Freda Jackson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2023
This is why Augustus attempted to use moral suasion and coercion to have the Roman Senatorial class reproduce at a higher rate.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Aug. 2010
See all Example Sentences for suasion 
James Oakes, Foreign Affairs, 27 Dec. 2012
Beyond moral suasion is a clear policy against any form of discrimination that happens to be taking place.
—Alyson Shontell, Fortune, 31 Aug. 2023
As psychologist Asa Hilliard later explained, among those strategies were moral suasion, litigation, grassroots organizing, civil disobedience, economic boycotts, the solicitation of corporate sponsors and the use of television.
—Bev-Freda Jackson, The Conversation, 25 Aug. 2023
This is why Augustus attempted to use moral suasion and coercion to have the Roman Senatorial class reproduce at a higher rate.
—Razib Khan, Discover Magazine, 25 Aug. 2010
See all Example Sentences for suasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suasion
Noun
-
Attorneys for Taylor, Rodriguez and Lore will need to fashion their arguments and style of persuasion accordingly.Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 4 Nov. 2024
-
Trump’s convention speech was 35 minutes of persuasion and 60 minutes of fan service.Matthew Continetti, National Review, 2 Nov. 2024
Noun
-
Nice drive by Tampa Bay, which took nearly seven minutes off the clock with an 11-play, 70-yard drive that included multiple third-down conversions.Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 5 Nov. 2024
-
The key event of Mann’s conversion came in June, when ultranationalists in Berlin murdered his friend Walther Rathenau, the Weimar Republic’s Jewish foreign minister.George Packer, The Atlantic, 5 Nov. 2024
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
Thesaurus Entries Near suasion
Cite this Entry
“Suasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suasion. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share