Synonyms

dissuade

American

[dih-sweyd] / dɪˈsweɪd /

verb (used with object)

to deter by advice or persuasion; persuade not to do something (often followed byfrom ).

She dissuaded him from leaving home.
Archaic. to advise or urge against.

to dissuade an action.

dissuade British

/ dɪˈsweɪd /

verb

(often foll by from) to deter (someone) by persuasion from a course of action, policy, etc
to advise against (an action, etc)

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Conjugated Forms

Present

Past

Future

Etymology

Origin of dissuade

1505–15; < Latin dissuādēre, equivalent to dis- dis- ¹ + suādēre to recommend, urge, derivative of suād-, base of suāvis tasting agreeable; see suave

Explanation

When you dissuade someone, you convince that person not to do something: “When Caroline saw Peter's broken leg, she tried to dissuade him from going on the ski trip.” Remember the meaning of dissuade by comparing it to its more common relative persuade. The suade part that both words share has origins in the Latin root suadēre, meaning “to urge.” In the case of persuade, the prefix per- means “thoroughly,” intensifying “to urge” and giving persuade its meaning of “to convince.” Think of dissuade as the opposite of persuade: the prefix dis- reverses the action of the root, giving the meaning of not urging, in other words, convincing someone NOT to do something.

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Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

It reenacts the Prophet Abraham's stoning of the devil at three places where Satan is said to have tried to dissuade him from obeying God's command to sacrifice his son Ishmael.

From Barron's • May 27, 2026

“The mere threat of a drone strike is enough to dissuade ship owners, and drones can be launched from the back of a truck.”

From The Wall Street Journal • May 4, 2026

Others worry it will dissuade local real estate investment, or point out that properties can be vacant for a variety of reasons, including during renovations or transitions.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 8, 2026

Terrified of what might happen if she was caught, Geumseong begged his mother to be careful and tried to dissuade her from her plan.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

And yet when Maxine had shopped for the things to put in the basket, at Dean and DeLuca, he’d said nothing to dissuade her.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023