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

Derived Forms

• ˈsuasive, adjective

Other Words From

• sua·sive [swey, -siv], sua·so·ry [swey, -s, uh, -ree], adjective
• suasive·ly adverb
• suasive·ness 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

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

From Los Angeles Times

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

After decades of giving speeches arguing against slavery, and leading conversations and appeals to the wealthy and powerful, Brown was impatient with this pacifist approach, which insisted on “moral suasion,” as mainstream abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison called it — what we'd now call “changing hearts and minds” or “changing the narrative.”

From Salon

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.”

From Washington Times

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.”

From Seattle Times