Word.ws English Dictionary

How to use persuasive in a sentence

34 example sentences · adjective, noun

Persuasive means able to persuade; convincing. Example: “The argument, while not persuasive, is quite refined.”

Examples of persuasive by meaning

adjectiveAble to persuade; convincing.

  • But I'm pretty persuasive, and I've learned how elected officials think.2020 December 2, Andy Byford talks to Paul Clifton, “I enjoy really big challenges...”, in Rail, page 55

More sentences with persuasive

  • The argument, while not persuasive, is quite refined.From the entry refined
  • But is there a persuasive case that the ethics of merely sentient beings should make this distinction?2025, Matthew D. Adler, Risk, Death, and Well-Being: The Ethical Foundations of Fatality Risk Regulation (Population-Level Bioethics…. From the entry interbeing
  • It requires a clear thesis, backed by rigorously marshaled evidence, in the service of a persuasive argument.2017 August 26, Bret Stephens, “Tips for Aspiring Op-Ed Writers”, in The New York Times, →ISSN, archived from the original on 20 Dec 2017. From the entry op-ed
  • Bembo's arguments were persuasive, and several writers of the age decided to ‘Tuscanize’ their work.2011, David Gilmour, The Pursuit of Italy, Penguin, published 2012, page 31. From the entry Tuscanize
  • Soon after Surrey's translation of Virgil, blank verse became a persuasive rival to the heroic couplet.2006, Philip Hobsbaum, “The heroic couplet”, in Metre, Rhythm and Verse Form, Routledge, →ISBN, page 18. From the entry blank verse
  • “I’d like a little Jesus, on the side, please!” Let us be polite but persuasive.2003 December 19, Ed Brady, “He’s celebrating ‘CHRIST-mas,’ not ‘SANTA-mas’”, in The Boscobel Dial, volume 131, number 52, Boscobel, Wis.…. From the entry Santa-mas
  • Are we entitled to so define, or is Hook bogged down in a form of "persuasive definitioneering"?1968 (1972?), "Definitioneering: An Article-review of Sidney Hook's Academic Freedom," The Philosophy Forum, supplement 11, nos. 1-2…. From the entry definitioneering
  • 'It's a lovely day, today!' Mrs Bolton would say in her caressive, persuasive voice.1928, D[avid] H[erbert] Lawrence, chapter IX, in Lady Chatterley’s Lover, [Germany?]: Privately printed, →OCLC, page 114. From the entry caressive
  • What is a simple master-mariner at best alongsides a parson with a persuasive voice?.1907, Frank Frankfort Moore, chapter XXIV, in The Love that Prevailed, New York: Empire Book Company, page 299. From the entry alongsides
  • The second mode of persuasion uses a pathotic argument which uses emotion implicitly or explicitly as a persuasive tool.2020 May 15, Lungile Augustine Tshuma, “ZANU–PF Women’s League and the (Re)configuration of Political Power in Influencing Succession…. From the entry pathotic
  • His persuasive power was overwielded, and overshadowed by his intensity, which made him seem to them on the verge of spooky.2016, T. Wells, Wild Man. From the entry overwield
  • Much depends here on how persuasive you find the entailments that Oldstone-Moore draws between historical circumstances and barbal fashions.2015 October 23, Ned Beauman, “Of Beards and Men: The Revealing History of Facial Hair by Christopher Oldstone-Moore review”, in The…. From the entry barbal
  • Adolf Hilter had great persuasive power that he managed to convince his listeners with anti-semantic views and the rest is history.2014, Francis Chishala ·, A Robust Think Tank for Africa. From the entry antisemantic
  • Affective expressions and diminutives directly enhance the persuasive function.2013, Kazimierz Sikora, Barbara Żebrowska, “Traditional Polish lullabies”, in Liisi Laineste, Dorota Brzozowska, Władysław Chłopicki…. From the entry affectonym
  • The rule against multiple punctuation around a closing quote is fairly clearly stated and to me quite persuasive.2003 September 14, Bob Cunningham, “punctuation with abbreviation ending a quotation”, in alt.usage.english (Usenet), archived from the…. From the entry full-stopped
  • Thus, the provision of Sections 18 and 19 are to be considered more persuasive to a construer than Section 20.2000, American Bar Association, Annual Report of the American Bar Association. From the entry construer
  • Everyone knows that vividly presented information is impactful and persuasive.1982, S. E. Taylor, S. C. Thompson, “Stalking the Elusive 'Vividness' Effect”, in Psychological Bulletin, volume 89, number 2, page 155. From the entry impactful
  • Either his arguments are persuasive and he draws support, or his much talking builds enmity among the other committee members.1970, Kenneth O. Gangel, “The Leader as Board or Committee Chairman”, in Leadership for Church Education, Chicago, Ill.: Moody Press…. From the entry overloquaciousness
  • Direct persuasive suggestion under hypnosis was the type of hypnotherapy used by the old medical practitioners of hypnotism.1947, Leslie M. Lecron, Jean Bordeaux, Hypnotism Today. From the entry hypnotherapy
  • Whidden refused at first, but he wasn’t nimble-witted, and Fitzstephan could be persuasive enough, so the bargain had been made.1929, Dashiell Hammett, chapter 23, in The Dain Curse. From the entry nimble-witted
  • The relatively new field of computers as persuasive technology (captology) has begun to explore the powerful effects of presentation of information on computers.2015, Rand J. Spiro, Michael DeSchryver, Michelle Schira Hagerman, Paul M. Morsink, Penny Thompson, Reading at a Crossroads?: Disjunctures…. From the entry captology
  • Knowing that he would be susceptible to the arguments of his persuasive co-brother-in-law Antonio de' Medici, Saminiato tried to avoid his company.2008, Daniel Bornstein, David Peterson, editors, Florence and Beyond: Culture, Society and Politics in Renaissance Italy, page 350. From the entry co-brother-in-law
  • I'm going to body-slam your client at trial until he wishes he had been more cooperative and you wish you had been more persuasive.2001, Jodi Picoult, Salem Falls, page 176. From the entry body-slam
  • A facile and persuasive writer, he also turned out countless newspaper articles on Russian aims in Central Asia and how best these could be thwarted.1990, Peter Hopkirk, The Great Game, Folio Society, published 2010, page 372. From the entry facile
  • A nonbrand processing strategy refers to all other processing strategies where no evaluation of the advertised brand is made during exposure to the persuasive communication.1985, Linda F. Alwitt, Andrew A. Mitchell, Psychological processes and advertising effects. From the entry nonbrand
  • In short, in their persuasive efforts to please, to give everybody "a sweet taste of liberty," the Commission had pleased no one.1961, Peter Decker, Benedict Arnold: Son of the Havens - Page 145. From the entry forestretch
  • Willkie, president of huge Commonwealth & Southern Corp., is in a class by himself as a persuasive businessman-critic of the New Deal. . . .1940 March 18, “Life on the Newsfronts of the World: Big Government”, in Life, retrieved 13 Dec 2011, page 26. From the entry big business
  • It's kind of painful when the actual dialogue and behavior is wildly inadequate, but the dice say that no, that was the most persuasive argument you ever heard.2017, Marie Brennan, Dice Tales: Essays on Roleplaying Games and Storytelling. From the entry roll-playing
  • This research showed that a zygonic approach could provide an intuitively persuasive metric for the fluctuating patterns of musical influence as they unfolded, event by event.2012, Raymond MacDonald, Gunter Kreutz, Laura Mitchell, Music, Health, and Wellbeing, page 290. From the entry zygonic
  • If the goolie chits didn't prove all that persuasive, we each had a big .45 in a canvas holster around our waist, and Hudd and his man had Stirlings.2010, David Fiddimore, Silent War, page 391. From the entry goolie chit
  • While not acceptable to all Unitarians, the philosophical determinism known as Necessarianism, identified with Hartley and Priestley, also proved persuasive to many, both ministers and laymen.2000, R. K. Webb, “6: Miracles in English Unitarian Thought”, in Mark S. Micale, Robert L. Dietle, editors, Enlightenment, Passion…. From the entry necessarianism
  • "In the Memory of the Forest" is remarkable for the acuity of its moral vision and the vivacity of its language; what makes it extraordinary is its persuasive hopefulness.1997 April 13, Ken Kalfus, “The Disappeared”, in The New York Times. From the entry hopefulness
  • At 41, Jockey Richards was still up and at 'em last week, and his wrists and knees were still persuasive enough to boot home the winner in Newmarket's Icklingham Stakes.1945 November 12, “Sport: Stretch Drive”, in Time, retrieved 29 May 2015. From the entry up and at 'em

Meaning of persuasive

  1. adjective Able to persuade; convincing.
  2. noun That which persuades; incitement.

Full definition of persuasive

Questions about persuasive in a sentence

How do you use persuasive in a sentence?
Persuasive is used as an adjective and noun. For example: “The argument, while not persuasive, is quite refined.”
What is a short sentence with persuasive?
“The argument, while not persuasive, is quite refined.”
What does persuasive mean?
Persuasive means able to persuade; convincing.

Source and license

Adapted from Wiktionary: persuasive (page history and authors) and the entries each sentence comes from. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws chose the sentences, left out offensive ones and quotations older than 1900, and marked the word in each. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

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