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.

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suasion British  

/ ˈsweɪʒən /

noun

1. a rare word for persuasion

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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

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

From The Wall Street Journal

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

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

From Los Angeles Times

But “She Said” largely stresses the unglamorous grind of an investigation: the phone calls, the doorstepping, the delicate moral suasion that reporters use to convince sources to trust them.

From New York Times

For the rest, Washington should aggressively deploy moral suasion, trade and aid — economic as well as military.

From Washington Post