gentle persuasion
1
3.9
- noun
:
persuasión suave
- The teacher often uses gentle persuasion to encourage her students to participate in class.
Examples
-
I think it's time for some gentle persuasion.
-
"Relax, honey, and try a little gentle persuasion."
Fiction book (1990) -
And I think what I think this needs a bit of gentle persuasion in order to free it up.
-
Some employed gentle persuasion and bribes for this information.
Academic text (2018) -
True Christianity, by contrast, demonstrated its truth by gentle persuasion and clear evidence.
Academic text (2003) -
He has succumbed to this gentle persuasion before.
Fiction book (1998) -
And what form of gentle persuasion do you suppose will convince a few billion quasi-intelligent primates to move to Mars?
Blog text (5) -
However, his writing gives little or no evidence of applying the rules of dialogue, participation, or gentle persuasion to conversations about structural justice within the church.
Academic text (1992) -
At the same time, in a reflection on the nature of "Christian truth," the pope argues for a method of gentle persuasion, relying primarily not upon the authority of office, but upon the moral force of argument and the power of authentic and integral witness.
Academic text (1992) -
They managed to achieve their goals through gentle persuasion rather than force.
Synonyms
45
3.6
Getting someone to do or believe something by giving reasons
5
4.4
Gentle persuasion using praise or kind words to get someone to do something
3
4.3
Flattering words that try to persuade someone but are not sincere
2
9.8
A friendly compliment meant to persuade someone to do something
1
9.9
Getting someone to do or believe something by talking and giving reasons
1
7.8
Getting someone to do something by saying nice things and asking again and again
1
5.2
Ability to make someone believe or do something
1
8.4
Gentle praise and kind words used to get someone to do something
A clever, hidden way to persuade someone by making them think or feel differently
Antonyms
How Forceful
- Offensive
56
6.9
149
4.2
45
3.6
1
3.9
759
1.4
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase's meaning ('subtle or mild methods to influence') is directly compositional from 'gentle' (mild, kind) + 'persuasion' (the act of convincing), so a learner who knows both words can readily infer the MWE. This is a common, literal combination found across languages and follows straightforward adjective + noun semantics, making it accessible at the B1 level.
Etymology
Gentle persuasion gives the image of a soft hand guiding someone, because gentle means mild and persuasion means trying to get someone to do something. So it means using kind, small pushes 'to convince' someone rather than force.