persuade

[ per-sweyd ]
/ pərˈsweɪd /

verb (used with object), per·suad·ed, per·suad·ing.

to prevail on (a person) to do something, as by advising or urging: We could not persuade him to wait.
to induce to believe by appealing to reason or understanding; convince: to persuade the judge of the prisoner's innocence.

Origin of persuade

From the Latin word persuādēre, dating back to 1505–15. See per-, dissuade, suasion

SYNONYMS FOR persuade

1 urge, influence, move, entice, impel. Persuade, induce imply influencing someone's thoughts or actions. They are used today mainly in the sense of winning over a person to a certain course of action: It was I who persuaded him to call a doctor. I induced him to do it. They differ in that persuade suggests appealing more to the reason and understanding: I persuaded him to go back to his wife (although it is often lightly used: Can't I persuade you to stay to supper? ); induce emphasizes only the idea of successful influence, whether achieved by argument or by promise of reward: What can I say that will induce you to stay at your job? Owing to this idea of compensation, induce may be used in reference to the influence of factors as well as of persons: The prospect of a raise in salary was what induced him to stay.

ANTONYMS FOR persuade

1 dissuade.

usage note for persuade

See convince.

OTHER WORDS FROM persuade

Words nearby persuade

perspicuous, perspiration, perspiratory, perspire, persson, persuade, persuader, persuasible, persuasion, persuasive, persulfate

Example sentences from the Web for unpersuaded

  • Dr. Sevier thrust his pocket-book back into its place, compressing his lips and giving his head an unpersuaded jerk.

    Dr. Sevier |George W. Cable

British Dictionary definitions for unpersuaded (1 of 2)

unpersuaded
/ (ˌʌnpəˈsweɪdɪd) /

adjective

not having been induced, urged, or prevailed upon successfully

British Dictionary definitions for unpersuaded (2 of 2)

persuade
/ (pəˈsweɪd) /

verb (tr; may take a clause as object or an infinitive)

to induce, urge, or prevail upon successfully he finally persuaded them to buy it
to cause to believe; convince even with the evidence, the police were not persuaded

Derived forms of persuade

persuadable or persuasible, adjective persuadability or persuasibility, noun persuader, noun

Word Origin for persuade

C16: from Latin persuādēre, from per- (intensive) + suādēre to urge, advise