What is the antonym of “coerce”?
The antonyms of coerce are persuade, convince, and encourage. The antonyms persuade, convince, and encourage convey a positive and voluntary action of influencing someone to do something.
Brief Definitions of the Antonym(s)
Learn when and how to use these words with these examples!
persuade
To convince someone to do or believe something through reasoning or argument.
Example
She tried to persuade her parents to let her go on the trip by explaining how educational it would be.
convince
To cause someone to believe or feel certain about something through evidence or argument.
Example
The lawyer was able to convince the jury of his client's innocence by presenting strong evidence.
encourage
To give support, confidence, or hope to someone to do something.
Example
Her coach always encourages her to do her best and never give up.
How are these antonyms different from each other?
- 1Persuade involves using reasoning or argument to convince someone to do or believe something.
- 2Convince involves providing evidence or argument to make someone believe or feel certain about something.
- 3Encourage involves giving support, confidence, or hope to someone to do something.
Good things to know
- 1Influence: Use persuade and convince when you want to influence someone's opinion or decision.
- 2Motivation: Use encourage when you want to motivate someone to take action or do something.
- 3Positive Communication: Use these antonyms to communicate positively and respectfully with others.
Remember this!
The antonyms have distinct nuances: Persuade and convince involve using reasoning or evidence to influence someone's opinion or decision, while encourage involves giving support, confidence, or hope to motivate someone to take action. Use these words to communicate positively and respectfully with others, influence opinions or decisions, and motivate people to take action.
