coaxed

American  

[kohkst] / koʊkst /

adjective

1. influenced or persuaded to do something by gentle urging, smooth talk, flattery, etc..

   A coaxed cat will make itself comfortable in your lap for a while, but a forced one will flat out refuse.

2. obtained by gentle urging, sweet talk, flattery, etc..

   The hotel owner eventually offered us a coaxed apology after much back and forth about the lack of cleanliness.

---

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of coax.

Other Word Forms

• uncoaxed adjective

Etymology

Origin of coaxed

First recorded in 1825–35; coax ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. ) for the adjective senses; coax ¹ ( def. ) + -ed ¹ ( def. ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

Gen. John Brennan emerged from the plane on Tuesday, he was greeted by an army composed of two rival Libyan factions the American officer had coaxed into holding their first ever joint military exercises.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026

The average rate on a 30-year mortgage is now at the lowest it’s been since 2022, raising hopes that potential buyers can be coaxed to participate in the spring buying season.

From Barron's • Feb. 27, 2026

Michael Carrick is far too experienced to get coaxed into giving away whether he wants to become Manchester United's next permanent manager.

From BBC • Jan. 25, 2026

He coaxed a devastatingly chilly turn from Mary Tyler Moore, drew quiet strength from Donald Sutherland and guided Timothy Hutton to an Oscar-winning breakthrough.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 16, 2025

"Come on, sweetie, tell us what's for supper?" he coaxed.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez