WHEEDLING

blandishment, wheedling

(noun) the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery

Source: WordNet® 3.1


Etymology

Verb

wheedling

present participle of wheedle

Adjective

wheedling (comparative more wheedling, superlative most wheedling)

Coaxing, aiming to persuade.

Noun

wheedling (plural wheedlings)

The act of one who wheedles.

Source: Wiktionary


WHEEDLE

Whee"dle, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wheedled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wheedling.] Etym: [Cf. G. wedeln to wag with the tail, as a dog, wedel a fan, tail, brush, OHG. wadal; akin to G. wehen to blow, and E. wind, n.]

1. To entice by soft words; to cajole; to flatter; to coax. The unlucky art of wheedling fools. Dryden. And wheedle a world that loves him not. Tennyson.

2. To grain, or get away, by flattery. A deed of settlement of the best part of her estate, which I wheedled out of her. Congreve.

Whee"dle, v. i.

Definition: To flatter; to coax; to cajole.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition



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Word of the Day

10 May 2025

BEATIFY

(verb) declare (a dead person) to be blessed; the first step of achieving sainthood; “On Sunday, the martyr will be beatified by the Vatican”


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Coffee Trivia

In 1884, Angelo Moriondo of Turin, Italy, demonstrated the first working example of an espresso machine.

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