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.
We’ve tried being nice, talking tough, moral suasion, negotiated agreement, economic sanctions.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 12, 2026
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 • Nov. 16, 2022
They use scale, narrative and moral suasion to shape public opinion and collective identity.
From Washington Post • Nov. 25, 2020
A mask mandate and a program of moral suasion aimed at social distancing will be more palatable for the mass of Americans if a new Thanksgiving beckons at the end of the ordeal.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 18, 2020
The tone of the passage when compared with the disciplinary methods of the synagogue indicates that its purpose was to introduce elements of reason and moral suasion in place of sterner methods.
From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 10, Slice 1 "Evangelical Church Conference" to "Fairbairn, Sir William" by Various
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.
