cajole
Americanverb (used with or without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has cajoledperfect 3rd person singular
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have cajoledperfect
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has been cajolingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am cajolingprogressive 1st person singular
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are cajolingprogressive
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is cajolingprogressive 3rd person singular
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have been cajolingperfect progressive
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cajolessingular 3rd person
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cajolingparticiple
Past
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had cajoledperfect
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were cajolingprogressive plural
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was cajolingprogressive singular
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cajoledsimple
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had been cajolingperfect progressive
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cajoledparticiple
Future
Etymology
Origin of cajole
1635–45; < French cajoler to cajole or chatter like a jaybird, apparently derivative of *cajole birdcage (< Late Latin caveola < Latin cave ( a ) cage + -ola -ole 1 ( def. ) ) + -er infinitive suffix
Explanation
To cajole someone is to persuade them by using insincere compliments or promises. If you say "Please, pretty-please, I'll be your best friend," when asking for a stick of gum, you are cajoling the gum holder. The origin of this word is probably a blend of two French words meaning "to chatter like a jaybird" and "to lure into a cage." When you cajole that guy into lending you some money, picture him as the bird going into the cage. In fact, the word cajole may be associated with another French word meaning "to put in jail."
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
