suasion

American  

[swey-zhuhn] / ˈsweɪ ʒən /

noun

1. the act of advising, urging, or attempting to persuade; persuasion.

2. an instance of this; a persuasive effort.

---

suasion British  

/ ˈsweɪʒən /

noun

1. a rare word for persuasion

---

Other Word Forms

• suasive adjective
• suasively adverb
• suasiveness noun
• suasory adjective

Etymology

Origin of suasion

1325–75; Middle English < Latin suāsiōn- (stem of suāsiō ), equivalent to suās ( us ), past participle of suādēre to advise ( suād-, verb stem + -tus past participle suffix, with dt > s ) + -iōn- -ion

Example Sentences

All that remains may be the power of public suasion, but Gilead hasn’t demonstrated much sensitivity to such pressure.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 9, 2026

We’ve tried being nice, talking tough, moral suasion, negotiated agreement, economic sanctions.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026

You have a voice in it — a voice that can be amplified by suasion — but so do your neighbors.

From New York Times • Aug. 3, 2021

They use scale, narrative and moral suasion to shape public opinion and collective identity.

From Washington Post • Nov. 25, 2020

But out of kindliness one may take a gentler method with them, and try to bring them right by æsthetic suasion.

From The Three Devils: Luther's, Milton's, and Goethe's With Other Essays by Masson, David