persuasion
Americannoun
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the act of persuading or seeking to persuade.
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the power of persuading; persuasive force.
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the state or fact of being persuaded or convinced.
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a deep conviction or belief.
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a form or system of belief, especially religious belief.
the Quaker persuasion.
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a sect, group, or faction holding or advocating a particular belief, idea, ideology, etc..
Several of the people present are of the socialist persuasion.
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Facetious. kind or sort.
noun
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the act of persuading or of trying to persuade
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the power to persuade
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the state of being persuaded; strong belief
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an established creed or belief, esp a religious one
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a sect, party, or faction
Related Words
See advice.
Other Word Forms
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.
Vocabulary lists containing persuasion
Academic Vocabulary Toolkit 1, Words 61-70
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Walk Two Moons
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Keystone Exams: English Composition Glossary
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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.
Once he had finished in the House of Commons, Sir Keir started putting in the hard yards of persuasion.
From BBC • May 13, 2026
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
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
“The Government was thus already on notice that such a statement delivered in this environment is precisely the kind of inappropriate persuasion the Injunction sought to prevent,” Fitzgerald wrote.
From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026
Hazel felt willing enough, but Fiver needed persuasion.
From "Watership Down: A Novel" by Richard Adams
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.
