dissuade

American  

[dih-sweyd] / dɪˈsweɪd /

verb (used with object)

• dissuades,
  present (3rd person singular)
• dissuaded,
  past participle,  past
• dissuading
  present participle

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

   She dissuaded him from leaving home.

2. Archaic. to advise or urge against.

   to dissuade an action.

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dissuade British  

/ dɪˈsweɪd /

verb

1. (often foll by from) to deter (someone) by persuasion from a course of action, policy, etc

2. to advise against (an action, etc)

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• dissuader
  noun
• dissuasion
  noun
• dissuasiveness
  noun
• predissuade
  verb (used with object)
• dissuadable
  adjective
• dissuasive
  adjective
• undissuadable
  adjective
• dissuasively
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• dissuading
  present
• dissuaded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• dissuade
  simple
• dissuades
  simple
• have dissuaded
  perfect
• has dissuaded
  perfect
• am dissuading
  progressive
• are dissuading
  progressive
• is dissuading
  progressive
• have been dissuading
  perfect progressive
• has been dissuading
  perfect progressive

Past

• dissuaded
  simple
• had dissuaded
  perfect
• was dissuading
  progressive
• were dissuading
  progressive
• had been dissuading
  perfect progressive

Future

• will dissuade
  simple
• will have dissuaded
  perfect
• will be dissuading
  progressive
• will have been dissuading
  perfect progressive

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.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

dissuade dissuades dissuaded dissuading

His family, he told Gandhi, had tried to dissuade him from going to the protest, but "I couldn't stop myself".

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2026

Still, the herculean task didn’t dissuade us from asking five individuals from across the political spectrum to name the one thing they would change if they could do it with a magic wand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

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

If the person on the other end tries to dissuade you from talking to anyone else, or tries to tell you there’s no time, it’s a scam.

From MarketWatch ● May 22, 2026

At last the Sun gave up trying to dissuade him.

From "Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes" by Edith Hamilton

In the series, Joss’ Ken dissuades Poehler’s peppy protagonist Leslie Knopefrom hosting a local festival on sacred burial grounds.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 2, 2025

High doses can also sometimes cause changes in behaviour, such as depression, which often dissuades people from starting treatment, according to campaigners.

From BBC ● Sep. 20, 2024

Walz told AP he hopes the Legislature will seek a compromise that includes fair pay for drivers but also dissuades the companies from leaving the market.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 15, 2024

A lack of enough childcare spots dissuades many working women from becoming mothers, he added.

From Reuters ● Jul. 5, 2023

And yet again, he who dissuades one man from volunteering, or induces one soldier to desert, weakens the Union cause as much as he who kills a Union soldier in battle.

From The Writings of Abraham Lincoln — Volume 6: 1862-1863 by Abraham Lincoln

He may have been dissuaded from imposing a toll, but this is the way he thinks, and this is how he defines U.S. interests.

From Slate ● Jul. 15, 2026

I had heard rumblings about the Korean Festival Foundation’s watch party, but once I found out it would take place at Seoul International Park, I was almost dissuaded entirely.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 13, 2026

“There was earlier a perception among many of my clients that the White House would strongly oppose rate hikes, and that the Fed would therefore be dissuaded from doing them,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 22, 2026

In recent years, companies have been dissuaded by the costs and complexity of being a public company subject to the SEC’s rules, Atkins said, including the requirement that companies report their earnings quarterly.

From Barron's ● Apr. 21, 2026

But Felicia would not be dissuaded from the orishas.

From "Dreaming in Cuban" by Cristina García

So leaders have more trouble either credibly threatening bad members to resign or dissuading other members from taking justice into their own hands.

From Slate ● Apr. 16, 2026

Once a key storage of wealth, home prices across the country have stagnated, dissuading would-be buyers from investing.

From Barron's ● Apr. 14, 2026

Even so, Denver’s sluggish condo market is dissuading some owners from selling, he said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026

After illegal border crossings reached historic highs in 2023, the administration utilized those discretionary programs in hopes of dissuading migrants from further overwhelming the U.S.-Mexico border.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 7, 2025

Had I succeeded in dissuading Hamlet from revenge?

From "Ophelia" by Lisa Klein

Related Words

• deter
• discourage
• divert
• faze
• prevent
• thwart
• warn