suasion
Americannoun
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the act of advising, urging, or attempting to persuade; persuasion.
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an instance of this; a persuasive effort.
noun
Other Word Forms
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
Vocabulary lists containing suasion
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.
But over time, leadership shifted from moral suasion to political patronage.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 15, 2026
Some will argue that self-expression is the goal, others moral suasion; some will prefer soft power to storming the barricades and some the reverse.
From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 23, 2024
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
Fines were occasionally imposed for non-attendance at church; that does not seem to have been the rule, moral suasion apparently sufficing to meet most requirements.
From Bygone Cumberland and Westmorland by Scott, Daniel
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.
