to blarney

Examples

• All

• She blarneyed him into lending her the car for the weekend.

• He tried to blarney his way out of trouble with a charming smile.

• He tried to blarney his way into the party.

• Can you blarney her into joining us?

• The sales representative tried to blarney the customer into buying the expensive model by complimenting her taste.

• He would often blarney his friends with sweet words to avoid doing chores.

• During the meeting, she blarneyed the boss to secure a promotion by highlighting his favorite achievements.

Synonyms

C

to coax

vsto blarney

54 4.1

To gently persuade someone by being kind and patient

uses flattery and urging more than patient kindness or simple encouragement

S

to sweet-talk

vsto blarney

• Informal

23 5.3

To persuade someone by saying nice things to them

uses gentle urging and broader persuasion rather than only smooth flattering talk

C

to cajole

vsto blarney

15 7.7

To persuade someone to do something by gentle talk and praise

is the same basic meaning but a different word form

W

to wheedle

vsto blarney

5 7.9

To persuade someone by gentle praise or asking nicely

is the same in meaning but a different word form

I

to inveigle

vsto blarney

• Formal

2 9.5

To get someone to do something by flattering or tricking them

uses open gentle flattery and urging rather than clever sneaky tricks

P

to palaver

vsto blarney

• Archaic

9.9

To get someone to do something by saying nice things

is the same in meaning but a different word form

E

to engle

vsto blarney

• Archaic

9.9

To gently persuade someone by praise or charm

is used in modern speech rather than in old or archaic usage

Antonyms

D

to discourage

257 3.5

To try to stop something by making people less willing to do it

D

to dissuade

35 6.0

To try to stop someone from doing something by talking to them

Compounds

B

Blarney Stone

• Literature

1 8.1

A stone at Blarney Castle in Ireland that people kiss to speak in a fluent, pleasant way

How Persuasive

to cajole

15 7.7

to blarney

9.5

to coax

54 4.1

to encourage

∞ 2.3

to ask

∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

Etymology