persuasion

English

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persuasion

Wikipedia

Alternative forms

• perswasion (obsolete)

Etymology

From French persuasion and its source, Latin persuāsiō, from persuādēre, from suādēre (“to advise, recommend”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /pəˈsweɪʒ(ə)n/

• Audio (Southern England)

  (file)

• (US) IPA^(key): /pɚˈsweɪʒən/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

Noun

persuasion (countable and uncountable, plural persuasions)

1. The act of persuading, or trying to do so; the addressing of arguments to someone with the intention of changing their mind or convincing them of a certain point of view, course of action etc.
   • 2006, Rachel Morris, “Borderline Catastrophe”, in Washington Monthly, vol. 38:10:

     With the base unleashed, the White House was unable to broker a compromise, either by persuasion or by pressure.

2. An argument or other statement intended to influence one's opinions or beliefs; a way of persuading someone.
   • c. 1587–1588, [Christopher Marlowe], Tamburlaine the Great. The First Part , 2nd edition, part 1, London: Richard Iones, , published 1592, →OCLC; reprinted as Tamburlaine the Great (A Scolar Press Facsimile), Menston, Yorkshire, London: Scolar Press, 1973, →ISBN, Act I, scene ii:

     Not Hermes Prolocutor to the Gods,
     Could vſe perſwaſions more pathetical.

   • 1928 February 13, “The New Pictures”, in Time:

     Sadie curses, weeps, then, infected by Mr. Hamilton's writhing persuasions, prays and becomes penitent.

3. A strongly held conviction, opinion or belief.

   It is his persuasion that abortion should never be condoned.

   • 2010 February 6, “We don't need gay stereotypes”, in The Guardian:

     Social understanding and equality can neither be nurtured through fear, nor intimidation. Surely this goes for people of all sexual persuasions.

4. One's ability or power to influence someone's opinions or feelings; persuasiveness.
5. A specified religious adherence, a creed; any school of thought or ideology.
   • 2009, US Catholic (letter), May 2009:

     As a convert from the Baptist persuasion more than 40 years ago, I still feel like an outsider in the church despite the kindness and acceptance of Catholic friends.

6. (by extension, often humorous) Another personal, animal or inanimate trait that is not (very) liable to be changed by persuasion, such as sex, gender, ethnicity, origin, profession or nature.
   • 1871 February 14, J.J., "More Solution", Latter-Day Saints Millennial Star, page 105.

     Let us pray that the next generation be all of the male persuasion.

   • 1890, The Illustrated American‎, volume 4, page 308:

     To say that a woman is of the female persuasion was originally meant for a joke. As such it might pass — once. You might, indeed, refuse to smile; still, you wouldn't feel like invoking the law. But the constant and persistent use of this unfunny bit of fun has frown to be something of a public calamity. It is matter or congratulation, however, that such linguistic lese-majesty is far more common in England than in America.

   • 1919, Pere Marquette Magazine, volume 11, page 19:

     AND turning for tor the moment from National to local affairs, we note there is a chimpanzee of the female persuasion out at Lincoln Park, of whom it is said that she can do everything but talk.

   • 1967, Taxes. The Tax Magazine, volume 45, number 2, page 698:

     This plainly implies that an equine animal either is of the feminine gender or is of the neuter persuasion.

   • 1984, The Medical Journal of Australia, page 739:

     Being a discussion between a Swede and an Australian of the medical persuasion, conversation turned to Pehr Edman who, as a Swedish expatriate, spent many years in Australia heading up the School of Medical Research at St Vincent's Hospital.

   • 2005, Lawrence Thomason, All the Sparks Fly Up!‎, page 78:

     The moonlight was bright this night; playing the part of a miniature sun as it reflected off the white faces of the Caucasian troops, but failing to reveal those of the darker persuasion. "One thing, Charlie can see them better than he can see me."

   • 2015, Leslie Kelly, “No More Bad Girls”, in New Year's Resolution: Romance!: Say Yes\No More Bad Girls\Just a Fling, Harlequin, page 125:

     She searched for something to say, something other than, So will this New Year's kiss be of the French persuasion?, and then found herself mumbling, “Vive la France.”

Antonyms

• dissuasion

Derived terms

Translations

French

Etymology

From Latin persuasiōnem, from persuadere, from suadere (“to advise, recommend”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɛʁ.sɥa.zjɔ̃/

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

persuasion f (plural persuasions)

1. persuasion

Further reading

• “persuasion”, in Trésor de la langue française informatisé , 2012.