persuasion

American  

[per-swey-zhuhn] / pərˈsweɪ ʒən /

noun

• persuasions
  plural

1. the act of persuading or seeking to persuade.

2. the power of persuading; persuasive force.

3. the state or fact of being persuaded or convinced.

4. a deep conviction or belief.

5. a form or system of belief, especially religious belief.

   the Quaker persuasion.

6. a sect, group, or faction holding or advocating a particular belief, idea, ideology, etc..

   Several of the people present are of the socialist persuasion.

7. Facetious. kind or sort.

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persuasion British  

/ pəˈsweɪʒən /

noun

1. the act of persuading or of trying to persuade

2. the power to persuade

3. the state of being persuaded; strong belief

4. an established creed or belief, esp a religious one

5. a sect, party, or faction

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Synonym Usage

See advice.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• prepersuasion
  noun
• self-persuasion
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• persuasions
  plural

Etymology

Origin of persuasion

First recorded in 1350–1400; late Middle English, from Latin persuāsiōn-, stem of persuāsiō; equivalent to per- + suasion; replacing Middle English persuacioun, from Middle French persuacion, from Latin, as above

Explanation

Persuasion is something meant to get you to do or believe something. If you’re not sure you want to go somewhere, your friend might use persuasion to talk you into it. Being of a certain persuasion or belief, means you already have your mind made up, as a person who is of the Democratic persuasion or the Lutheran persuasion. Another meaning for persuasion is the act of influencing someone to do something or to change their mind. For example, good salespeople use persuasion to get people to buy things, just as children use persuasion to get permission to do certain things.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

persuasion persuasions

Ten years after World War I, a decade during which governments began to mobilize public opinion on an unprecedented scale, Edward Bernays offered “Propaganda,” a remarkably frank guide to mass persuasion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

"I thought con artists and trial lawyers all have skills which are perfectly allowed: misdirection, distraction, persuasion, manipulation," he said.

From BBC ● Aug. 3, 2026

He gains flexibility at the price of public persuasion and strategic coherence.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

The only event that seemed more oriented toward entertainment than persuasion was the log-cutting competition.

From Slate ● Jul. 1, 2026

Conversion from the old religions to Christianity took several forms across Europe: sometimes through peaceful persuasion, sometimes through conquest.

From "An Indigenous People’s History of the United States" by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz

People of all political persuasions should be outraged that this happened—and plenty were—but they should not be surprised.

From Slate ● Jul. 7, 2026

"The simple truth is that all governments of all persuasions over generations have not done enough to deal with what are generational challenges," Albanese told parliament this week.

From BBC ● May 15, 2026

I have no problem with Hilton campaigning at a Mexican restaurant — it’s a political trope practiced by candidates of all persuasions.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 13, 2026

Their finding confirms what we already know about this year: A lot is riding on this year’s midterms, regardless of political persuasions.

From MarketWatch ● Apr. 13, 2026

The people were of all positions and persuasions, from court ladies with coiffures that rivaled their skirts in volume to rank-smelling tanners' prentices.

From "The Shakespeare Stealer" by Gary L. Blackwood

Related Words

• belief
• creed
• denomination