persuasion

American  

[per-swey-zhuhn] / pərˈsweɪ ʒən /

noun

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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Related Words

See advice.

Other Word Forms

• prepersuasion
  noun
• self-persuasion
  noun

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

Nearly 14 years younger than Musk, who was born in June of 1971, Altman was said to be impressed by the Tesla chief's powers of persuasion.

From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026

Thankfully for those of a Perthshire-Saints persuasion, they can put their notifications for the Premiership back on.

From BBC • Apr. 22, 2026

It reflects a movement that has, to a significant degree, abandoned the project of persuasion in favor of the consolidation of identity.

From Salon • Apr. 18, 2026

That approach lowers the stakes of confrontation but reinforces the idea that the primary goal is expression rather than persuasion.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

By means of bribery and persuasion and threats, Madame Babushkinov had finally convinced her to stop acting like a coward and get out of bed.

From "The Long-Lost Home" by Maryrose Wood

Related Words

• belief
• creed
• denomination