coaxing

[kohk-sing]

noun

1. the act of gently persuading, flattering, cajoling, etc., to influence someone to do something.

   There was a high-spirited stallion that no one dared to ride except Ken—after much coaxing by his companions.

2. the act of manipulating something to a desired end by adroit handling or persistent effort.

   It took some coaxing with the wheel puller and a hammer and chisel, but the brake drum is now off.

adjective

1. using gentle persuasion, flattery, etc., to influence someone to do something; cajoling.

   In the pool is a coaxing parent, beckoning her timid offspring forward and ready to catch him when he jumps.

Other Word Forms

• coaxingly adverb
• half-coaxing adjective
• half-coaxingly adverb
• uncoaxing adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of coaxing¹

First recorded in 1670–80; coax ¹ + -ing ¹ for the noun senses; coax ¹ + -ing ² for the adjective sense

Example Sentences

“You know who I am, but who are you?” this coaxing stranger offers, which is like a playground retort twisted to sound pseudo-philosophical.

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The Fed, however, would likely limit its actions to coaxing short-end rates lower, he said, not loosening financial conditions more broadly by restarting “quantitative easing” focused on longer-duration assets.

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Poitras takes viewers inside Hersh’s process: the notebooks crammed with barely decipherable shorthand, the Rolodexes packed with names and numbers, the long calls coaxing sources to talk.

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“We weren’t able to free it by just coaxing it out.”

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Staff working on the project start early in the morning, walking around the docks and coaxing workers off the boats with promises of free health screenings and physio.

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Related Words

• bait 
• come-on 
• inducement 
• sweetener