English
cajole
Pronunciation
  • (British) IPA: /kəˈdʒəʊl/
  • (America) enPR: kə-jōlʹ, IPA: /kəˈdʒoʊl/
Verb

cajole (cajoles, present participle cajoling; past and past participle cajoled)

  1. (transitive and intransitive) To persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.
    Synonyms: butter up, coax, entice, inveigle, sweet-talk, wheedle
    • 1722, Daniel Defoe, Moll Flanders, ch. 12:
      Then he cajoled with his brother, and persuaded him what service he had done him.
    • 1820, Sir Walter Scott, The Abbot, ch. 27:
      If you are cajoled by the cunning arguments of a trumpeter of heresy, or the praises of a puritanic old woman, is not that womanish?
    • 1894, Horatio Alger, Only An Irish Boy, ch. 19:
      He had tried bullying, and without success. He would try cajoling and temptation.
    • 1898, Gilbert Parker, The Battle Of The Strong, ch. 37:
      [W]ith eloquent arts he had cajoled a young girl into a secret marriage.
    • 1917, Upton Sinclair, King Coal, ch. 8:
      Schulman, general manager of the "G. F. C.," had been sending out messengers to hunt for him, and finally had got him in his office, arguing and pleading, cajoling and denouncing him by turns.
    • 2010 August 4, Michael Scherer, "[http://www.time.com/time/politics/article/0,8599,2008429,00.html NonSTARTer? Obama's Troubled Nuclear Treaty]," Time:
      For weeks, the White House, the Pentagon and Senate Democrats have been working overtime to cajole, convince and placate Republicans.
Translations

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