COAXING Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

coaxing 1 of 2

noun

as in persuading

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coaxing

2 of 2

verb

present participle of coax

as in cajoling

to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery trying to coax their father into taking them on a ski trip, the teens mentioned what a great skier he is

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of coaxing

Noun

Spider Plant Unlike snake plants, spider plants need no coaxing to make more plants for your collection. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 13 Sep. 2026 And honestly, this type of traveler doesn’t need the most coaxing to try out a cruise vacation. — Scott Laird, Forbes.com, 19 June 2026 No coaxing or pulling from the crate. — Cathy M. Rosenthal, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026 Hair that’s naturally less heavy can hold more shape and bounce when styling, but maintaining a full-bodied look might take some extra coaxing. — Grace McCarty, Glamour, 9 Feb. 2026 Pushing, pulling and coaxing wins out of his team amid bleak situations is what Tomlin does. — Mike Jones, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026

Verb

The neighborhood/area A mile and a half away lies the pretty village of Lyndhurst, with its tourist-coaxing fudge shops and pubs, and a Ferrari dealer plonked incongruously among the red brick and timber quaintness. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 6 Oct. 2026 The curtness in his father’s voice was replaced by a syrupy, coaxing tone. — Rachel Heng, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2026 Energy from the sun helps reactions between those blocks along, coaxing them to form polymers, or longer chains of molecules. — Sarah Scoles, Scientific American, 15 Sep. 2026 Some analysts argue that the Obama administration set a hopeful precedent on AI cooperation by coaxing China to join the Paris Climate Agreement in 2016. — Andy Browne, semafor.com, 15 Sep. 2026 With a little more coaxing, the same results can be achieved with the base Copilot license, simply by using the right prompt-model combinations. — Chris Stegh, Forbes.com, 9 Sep. 2026 There’s no mediation or therapy-speak gently coaxing the brothers toward reconciliation. — Marshall Shaffer, IndieWire, 5 Sep. 2026 Arsenal want to do that in a range of ways — in personnel, stylistic development, and by coaxing more from their current group. — Amy Lawrence, New York Times, 22 Aug. 2026 Last year, Ian Stamy took the state prize for his bumper soybean yield, coaxing an average of just over 100 bushels per acre from his operation in central Pennsylvania. — Scott Neuman, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coaxing

Noun

Technical knowledge can be taught and examined but the skills Freebairn values most, such as influencing, persuading, and negotiating, cannot.

— Sam Birchall, Fortune, 23 Oct. 2026
In reality, Blanding says, her sister didn’t need much persuading.

— Ashley Vega, PEOPLE, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of persuading

Verb

Besides all that, Continue On has worked decently well in my experience, but only after much cajoling via the setup process.

— Joe Osborne, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
But the Marlins plan to be moderately active in free agency — regardless of whether the owners succeed in cajoling the players to accept a salary cap and salary floor in what are expected to be contentious labor negotiations.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of cajoling

Verb

That is how the awe of AI is luring our attention away from the slow and steady assault by America’s race demons.

— Kamau Bobb October 21, Literary Hub, 21 Oct. 2026
The Hoosiers paid handsomely for their big pickup via the transfer portal, luring him from Michigan State.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 17 Oct. 2026

Definition of luring

Noun

But such is the scale of Brazil’s polarization that many Brazilians are insensible to Lula’s entreaties and want the left defeated.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026
Abroad, their entreaties had remained unsuccessful, their diplomats had remained unrecognized, and their national existence had remained unrealized.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of entreaty

Verb

As the powerhouse publisher behind blockbuster books by Dave Grohl, Cher, Debbie Harry, and Geddy Lee, Carrie Thornton is used to wooing rock stars in order to acquire their memoirs.

— Lori Majewski, Rolling Stone, 1 Sep. 2026
Tennessee has been wooing Paramount, and Ellison’s father, Larry Ellison, had moved his software behemoth Oracle to Nashville two years ago.

— Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of wooing

Noun

At this point, many of the magnets provide no discernible integration benefit and are viewed instead as inducements for any student to enroll.

— Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 19 Oct. 2026
Eventually the movie begins to sound like an inducement to book a room.

— Philip Martin, Arkansas Online, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of inducement

Verb

Adva Lavie, an OnlyFans model, already is facing criminal charges in Los Angeles County for allegedly seducing and stealing from rich men.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 17 Sep. 2026
Still, with more than 40,000 industry jobs lost in the past few years, soundstages and vendor storefronts sitting empty, and lucrative overseas incentives seducing even more production away, things are bleak in town right now.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of seducing

Browse Nearby Words

coaxial

coaxing

coaxing (out)

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Style

“Coaxing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coaxing. Accessed 29 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of coaxing

noun

verb

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