as in convincing
the act of reasoning or pleading with someone to accept a belief or course of action
a defense lawyer uses not only legal arguments but also moral suasion to appeal to a jury's sense of right and wrong
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of suasion
All presidents have used leverage, often combined with moral suasion, personal relationships, public appeals, and other efforts, to attain their objectives in international affairs.
—
Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2020
Moral suasion can be even more powerful than policy.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
For that change to work, however, politicians and other influential figures will need to use moral suasion to attack the cultural fixation on gaining a four-year degree at any cost.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
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.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for suasion
Richard Fontaine, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2020
Moral suasion can be even more powerful than policy.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
For that change to work, however, politicians and other influential figures will need to use moral suasion to attack the cultural fixation on gaining a four-year degree at any cost.
—Arthur C. Brooks, Foreign Affairs, 13 Feb. 2017
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.
—Mark Olsen, Los Angeles Times, 27 Sep. 2024
See All Example Sentences for suasion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for suasion
Noun
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The other trades persuasion for provocation, and risks shrinking the very coalition needed to survive.—
Sam Raus,
Oc Register,
13 July 2025
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That’s because under polarized conditions, a true swing state is usually the place where both parties make the strongest efforts at persuasion, where the stakes of each election seem highest and the fear of the other party’s rule is sharpest among partisans on either side.—
Ross Douthat,
Mercury News,
11 July 2025
Noun
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Everton sources, speaking on the condition of anonymity to protect relationships, indicated a fee in the region of €9million (£7.87m, $10.6m at current conversion rates) was being discussed for Aznou.—
Patrick Boyland,
New York Times,
26 July 2025
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Her character survived a group seizure, being sent to a gay conversion camp, blackmail from one of her best friends (Lili Reinhart's Betty Cooper), and a full season in which she was trapped in a cult.—
Ryan Coleman Updated,
EW.com,
25 July 2025
Noun
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The material contained on this site is intended to inform, entertain and educate the reader and in no way represents an inducement to gamble legally or illegally or any sort of professional advice.—
Ray Padilla,
The Courier-Journal,
26 July 2025
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Waves of recent litigation against collegiate athletics governing rules have eliminated limits on athlete compensation, pay-for-play recruiting inducements, and transfers between universities, unleashing a sea change that threatens the viability of college sports.—
James Bickerton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
25 July 2025
Cite this Entry
“Suasion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/suasion. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.
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