suasion

[swey-zhuhn]

noun

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

2. an instance of this; a persuasive effort.

suasion

/ ˈsweɪʒən /

noun

1. a rare word for persuasion

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of suasion¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of suasion¹

C14: from Latin suāsiō, from suādēre to _persuade

Example Sentences

He argued with righteous tenacity that Southerners could be convinced to relinquish their slaves by means of patient “moral suasion.”

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If Palestinians had eschewed violence in favor of peaceful resistance and moral suasion, they probably would have had a viable state long ago.

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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.

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In language echoing the early, harsh years of the epidemic, Heritage called HIV/AIDS a “lifestyle disease” that should be suppressed by “education, moral suasion and legal sanctions.”

Read more on Seattle Times

Corporate boards have found ways to circumvent efforts to rein in executive pay through tax rules, shareholder voting options, and moral suasion.

Read more on Los Angeles Times