Library / English Dictionary

DISSUADE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

Turn away from by persuasion

Example:

Negative campaigning will only dissuade people

Synonyms:

deter; dissuade

Classified under:

Verbs of telling, asking, ordering, singing

Hypernyms (to "dissuade" is one way to...):

advise; counsel; rede (give advice to)

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "dissuade"):

talk out of (persuade someone not to do something)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Sentence examples:

Sam cannot dissuade Sue

They dissuade him to write the letter

Antonym:

persuade (cause somebody to adopt a certain position, belief, or course of action; twist somebody's arm)

Derivation:

dissuasion (persuading not to do or believe something; talking someone out of a belief or an intended course of action)

dissuasion (a communication that dissuades you)

dissuasive (deterring from action)

Credits

 Context examples: 

You would think him gentle, yet in some things he is inexorable as death; and the worst of it is, my conscience will hardly permit me to dissuade him from his severe decision: certainly, I cannot for a moment blame him for it.

(Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë)

These she explained to the unbounded satisfaction of the family,—children and all being then present,—and so much to the awakening of Mr. Micawber's punctual habits in the opening stage of all bill transactions, that he could not be dissuaded from immediately rushing out, in the highest spirits, to buy the stamps for his notes of hand.

(David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens)

I offered immediately, as soon as my mother related the affair to me, to talk to him myself, and dissuade him from the match; but it was too late THEN, I found, to do any thing, for unluckily, I was not in the way at first, and knew nothing of it till after the breach had taken place, when it was not for me, you know, to interfere.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

Miss Churchill, however, being of age, and with the full command of her fortune—though her fortune bore no proportion to the family-estate—was not to be dissuaded from the marriage, and it took place, to the infinite mortification of Mr. and Mrs. Churchill, who threw her off with due decorum.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

Elizabeth tried hard to dissuade him from such a scheme, assuring him that Mr. Darcy would consider his addressing him without introduction as an impertinent freedom, rather than a compliment to his aunt; that it was not in the least necessary there should be any notice on either side; and that if it were, it must belong to Mr. Darcy, the superior in consequence, to begin the acquaintance.

(Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen)

Sir Walter had at first thought more of London; but Mr Shepherd felt that he could not be trusted in London, and had been skilful enough to dissuade him from it, and make Bath preferred.

(Persuasion, by Jane Austen)

Mrs. Ferrars at first reasonably endeavoured to dissuade him from marrying Miss Dashwood, by every argument in her power;—told him, that in Miss Morton he would have a woman of higher rank and larger fortune;—and enforced the assertion, by observing that Miss Morton was the daughter of a nobleman with thirty thousand pounds, while Miss Dashwood was only the daughter of a private gentleman with no more than THREE; but when she found that, though perfectly admitting the truth of her representation, he was by no means inclined to be guided by it, she judged it wisest, from the experience of the past, to submit—and therefore, after such an ungracious delay as she owed to her own dignity, and as served to prevent every suspicion of good-will, she issued her decree of consent to the marriage of Edward and Elinor.

(Sense and Sensibility, by Jane Austen)

It is so cold, so very cold—and looks and feels so very much like snow, that if it were to any other place or with any other party, I should really try not to go out to-day—and dissuade my father from venturing; but as he has made up his mind, and does not seem to feel the cold himself, I do not like to interfere, as I know it would be so great a disappointment to Mr. and Mrs. Weston.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)

What was unwholesome to him he regarded as unfit for any body; and he had, therefore, earnestly tried to dissuade them from having any wedding-cake at all, and when that proved vain, as earnestly tried to prevent any body's eating it.

(Emma, by Jane Austen)