dissuasion
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of dissuasion
1520–30; < Latin dissuāsiōn- (stem of dissuāsiō ) a speaking against, equivalent to dissuās ( us ) (past participle of dissuādēre; dissuād- ( see dissuade) + -tus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Dissuasion is the act of trying to convince someone not to do something. With luck, your dissuasion will keep your little brother from trying to put doll clothes on the cat. Dissuasion is the opposite of persuasion: instead of urging or enticing someone to do something, you're talking them out of it. The two words share the Latin root suadere, "to urge," with the prefix dis-, or "against," giving dissuasion its "urging against" meaning. It may take some dissuasion to keep your basketball team's star player off the court after her injury, but she'll be glad in the long run.
Vocabulary lists containing dissuasion
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.
Initially, the employers countered the organizing campaigns with criticism of unions and other means of dissuasion.
From New York Times ● May 22, 2023
He previously sued CNN, accusing the network of playing a part in a "campaign of dissuasion in the form of libel and slander against" him, seeking $475 million in punitive damages.
From Salon ● May 4, 2023
“The dissuasion is working. But then, the less we talk about it, the less we brandish the threat, the more credible we are.”
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 13, 2022
That glaring disconnect, between official dissuasion and on-the-ground leniency, has been received by Haitian and other migrants as an invitation to take their chances on reaching the U.S. border.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 20, 2021
Some of the elder men present shook their heads and seemed to attempt dissuasion.
From Fickle Fortune by Elisabeth Burstenbinder (AKA E. Werner)
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.
