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

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

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