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Wordbay · Arguing & persuading

Words for arguing and persuading

The language of debate: how a point is made, conceded, dodged or twisted. Useful for writing an argument, and for noticing when someone is trying a trick on you.

Everyday (21)

  • cajole verb. To persuade someone gently, with flattery or repeated coaxing.
  • coerce verb. To make someone do something by using force, threats or pressure.
  • cogent adjective. Clear, logical and convincing.
  • concede verb. To admit, often reluctantly, that something is true or that you have lost.
  • contend verb. To argue firmly that something is the case.
  • contentious adjective. Likely to cause disagreement or heated argument.
  • debunk verb. To show that a claim, belief or reputation is false or exaggerated.
  • deduce verb. To reach a conclusion by reasoning from what you already know.
  • dissuade verb. To persuade someone not to do something.
  • dogma noun. A belief or set of beliefs laid down by an authority and held to be true beyond question.
  • fallacy noun. A mistaken belief, or a flaw in reasoning that makes an argument unsound.
  • insinuate verb. To suggest something unpleasant indirectly, without saying it outright.
  • narrative noun. A story or account of connected events, or the way a set of facts is presented to make a particular sense.
  • premise noun. A statement assumed to be true that an argument or theory is built on.
  • propaganda noun. Information, often slanted or misleading, spread deliberately to win people over to a cause or point of view.
  • rationale noun. The set of reasons behind a decision or belief.
  • rebut verb. To argue against a claim, or show with evidence that it is false.
  • rhetoric noun. The art of speaking or writing persuasively.
  • skew verb. To distort something so that it is no longer fair, balanced or accurate.
  • straw man phrase. A weak or distorted version of someone's argument, set up because it is easy to knock down.
  • tirade noun. A long, angry speech of criticism or accusation.

Well-read (27)

  • ad hominem phrase. Attacking the person who makes an argument rather than the argument itself.
  • beg the question phrase. To argue in a circle, assuming the very thing you are trying to prove.
  • blandishment noun. A flattering or pleasing word or act meant to coax someone into doing something.
  • bombast noun. Inflated, pompous language with little real meaning.
  • casuistry noun. Clever but misleading reasoning, especially about right and wrong.
  • cavil verb. To make petty, unnecessary objections.
  • corollary noun. A natural consequence that follows directly from something else.
  • demagogue noun. A political leader who wins support by stirring up people's fears and prejudices rather than by reasoned argument.
  • equivocate verb. To speak vaguely or ambiguously to avoid committing yourself or telling the truth.
  • exhort verb. To urge someone strongly and earnestly to do something.
  • fulsome adjective. Flattering or effusive to the point of seeming insincere.
  • gainsay verb. To deny or contradict something, usually in a negative sentence.
  • harangue noun. A long, loud, aggressive speech that lectures or scolds.
  • hornswoggle verb. To cheat or trick someone.
  • inveigle verb. To persuade someone by cunning or flattery to do something.
  • panacea noun. A remedy or solution claimed to cure every ill or fix every problem.
  • polemic noun. A strongly worded attack on someone's opinions or on a cause.
  • proselytise verb. To try to convert people to your religion, belief or enthusiasm.
  • red herring phrase. Something that draws attention away from the real question, sometimes on purpose.
  • refute verb. To prove that a statement or argument is wrong.
  • rejoinder noun. A quick, sharp reply, especially to a criticism.
  • remonstrate verb. To protest or complain forcefully to someone.
  • simplistic adjective. Treating something complicated as if it were much simpler than it really is.
  • sophistry noun. Reasoning that sounds clever but is deliberately misleading.
  • specious adjective. Seeming reasonable or true at first glance but actually wrong.
  • tendentious adjective. Written or said to promote a particular point of view, especially a disputed one.
  • wheedle verb. To coax someone into giving or doing something by flattery or charm.

Advanced (12)

  • apophasis noun. Raising a subject by saying that you won't mention it.
  • captious adjective. Inclined to find fault or raise trivial objections.
  • eristic adjective. Arguing for the sake of winning rather than to find the truth.
  • hortatory adjective. Urging or encouraging people to act in a particular way.
  • ipse dixit phrase. A claim made on someone's authority alone, without proof.
  • logomachy noun. An argument about words, or one where the only real disagreement is over what words mean.
  • paralogism noun. A piece of faulty reasoning, especially one the reasoner doesn't notice.
  • philippic noun. A fierce, bitter speech attacking someone.
  • procatalepsis noun. Answering an objection in advance, before your opponent can raise it.
  • ratiocination noun. Careful, methodical reasoning, one logical step at a time.
  • suasion noun. Persuading by argument or appeal rather than by force.
  • tu quoque phrase. A reply that dodges a criticism by accusing the critic of the same fault.