Skip to main content
art of persuasion

art of persuasion

1 4.3
Skill in convincing people to believe or do something
  • noun
  • /ɑrt əv pərˈsweɪʒən/
translation icon : arte de la persuasión
  • The old baroness applied all her arts of persuasion to convince her niece to forgive her loveless husband and take him in her arms again.

Examples

  • I strongly agree with his last point about teaching the art of persuasion, along with teaching people how to know when they're only being persuaded to believe something.

    Blog text (26)
  • Darwin also sensed that imagery and metaphor must be used as indispensable tools in the art of persuasion.

    Academic text (1993)
  • Whereas Scholastic theology privileges the logical movement from premises to conclusions, early Christian literature is more broadly concerned with the art of persuasion, including the confrontational "persuasion" of polemic.

    Academic text (2007)
  • Her success in selling the product was due to her mastery of the art of persuasion.

  • In his speech, he demonstrated the art of persuasion by effectively appealing to the audience's emotions.

  • The workshop focused on teaching students the art of persuasion to help them excel in debates.

Synonyms

rhetoric
vsart of persuasion
  • Formal
56 7.5

The art of using language to persuade people when speaking or writing

is the practical personal ability to make others believe or act, not the academic study
persuasion
vsart of persuasion
45 3.6

Getting someone to do or believe something by giving reasons

is the broader personal skill behind performing that act rather than the act itself
way with words
vsart of persuasion
13 5.0

Skill at speaking or writing in a pleasant, convincing way

is a wider interpersonal skill to cause belief or action beyond just expression
suasion
vsart of persuasion
  • Formal
1 9.9

Getting someone to do or believe something by talking and giving reasons

is the individual skill enabling such communication rather than the communication itself
persuasiveness
vsart of persuasion
1 5.2

Ability to make someone believe or do something

is the practiced skill used to make others believe or act rather than a quality
convincibility
vsart of persuasion
1 7.7

Ability to make others believe or accept an idea

emphasizes the active skill of causing belief or action rather than mere believability
convincingness
vsart of persuasion
7.1

The ability to make someone believe something is true

focuses on the skill to cause belief or action rather than proving truth
persuasibility
vsart of persuasion
7.5

How well something like a speech or ad makes people agree

is the human skill to cause acceptance or action rather than a measurable degree

Antonyms

Not able to produce the result you want

How Persuasive

art of persuasion
1 4.3
rhetoric
  • Formal
56 7.5
persuasion
45 3.6
argument
2.5
suggestion
759 1.4

Surface Forms

Morphology

art + of + persuasion

The phrase is fully compositional: 'art' (an acquired skill) combined with 'persuasion' (the act of convincing) yields the straightforward meaning 'the skill of convincing others.' The 'the art of X' pattern is productive and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows the constituents will readily infer this sense.

Etymology

The phrase art of persuasion compares convincing people to a careful craft. In this image, art means a learned skill and persuasion means getting someone to change their mind, so the phrase means 'the skill to convince people'.