Meanings
present singular third person cajoles · participle present cajoling · participle past cajoled · past cajoled
- ambitransitiveTo persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.
[W]ith eloquent arts he had cajoled a young girl into a secret marriage.
1898, Gilbert Parker, chapter 37, in The Battle Of The Strong5 more examples
Then he Cajol'd vvith his Brother, and perſvvaded him vvhat Service he had done him, […]
1722 (indicated as 1721), [Daniel Defoe], The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Moll Flanders, &c. […], London: […] W[illiam Rufus] Chetwood, […]; and T. Edling, […], published 1722, →OCLC, page 64If you are cajoled by the cunning arguments of a trumpeter of heresy, or the praises of a puritanic old woman, is not that womanish?
1820, [Walter Scott], chapter I, in The Abbot. […], volume III, Edinburgh: […] [James Ballantyne & Co.] for Longman, Hurst, Rees, Orme, and Brown, […]; and for Archibald Constable and Company, and John Ballantyne, […], →OCLC, page 26He had tried bullying, and without success. He would try cajoling and temptation.
1894, Horatio Alger, chapter 19, in Only An Irish BoySchulman, 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.
1917, Upton Sinclair, chapter 8, in King CoalFor weeks, the White House, the Pentagon and Senate Democrats have been working overtime to cajole, convince and placate Republicans.
2010 August 4, Michael Scherer, “NonSTARTer? Obama's Troubled Nuclear Treaty”, in TimeSynonyms: butter up, coax, entice, inveigle, sweet-talk, wheedle, fast-talk, blandander
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo persuade someone to do something which they are reluctant to do, especially by flattery or promises; to coax.
More synonyms by meaning
verbinfluence or urge by gentle urging, caressing, or flattering
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincavea“cage, coop, enclosure, stall”
- Late Latincaveola
- Medieval Latingabiola
- Old Frenchgaioler“entice into a cage”
- Middle Frenchcageoler“chatter like a jay”
- Frenchcajoler
- Englishcajole
Borrowed from French cajoler, probably a blend of Middle French cageoler (“chatter like a jay”) (from gajole, dialectal diminutive of geai (“jaybird”)) + Old French gaioler (“entice into a cage”), which is from Medieval Latin gabiola, from Late Latin caveola (whence English caveola), diminutive of Latin cavea (“cage, coop, enclosure, stall”). More at cage, cave, cavum, cavus, and jail.
More words from French, Middle French, Old French
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Bulgarian придумвам
- придумвам (pridumvam)to encourage or persuade by effort
Catalan entabanar, ensibornar
- entabanarto encourage or persuade by effort
- ensibornarto encourage or persuade by effort
Chinese Mandarin 誘哄 /诱哄, 勸誘 /劝诱
- 誘哄 /诱哄 (yòuhǒng)to encourage or persuade by effort
- 勸誘 /劝诱 (quànyòu)to encourage or persuade by effort
Czech obloudit, obluzovat
- oblouditto encourage or persuade by effort
- obluzovatto encourage or persuade by effort
- přemluvitto encourage or persuade by effort
- přesvědčitto encourage or persuade by effort
- přesvědčovatto encourage or persuade by effort
- přemlouvatto encourage or persuade by effort
Esperanto kaĵoli
- kaĵolito encourage or persuade by effort
Finnish houkutella, suostutella
- houkutellato encourage or persuade by effort
- suostutellato encourage or persuade by effort
German beschwatzen, verführen
- beschwatzento encourage or persuade by effort
- verführento encourage or persuade by effort
- dazu bringento encourage or persuade by effort
- umgarnento encourage or persuade by effort
- überredento encourage or persuade by effort
- drängento encourage or persuade by effort
- bettelnto encourage or persuade by effort
- schmeichelnto encourage or persuade by effort
- zuredento encourage or persuade by effort
- kajolierento encourage or persuade by effort
Greek καλοπιάνω
- καλοπιάνω (kalopiáno)to encourage or persuade by effort
Hungarian rábeszél, levesz a lábáról
- rábeszélto encourage or persuade by effort
- levesz a lábárólto encourage or persuade by effort
- hízelegto encourage or persuade by effort
- gazsulálto encourage or persuade by effort
Irish bladair
- bladairto encourage or persuade by effort
Italian persuadere
- persuadereto encourage or persuade by effort
Japanese 丸める, 丸め込む
- 丸める (marumeru)to encourage or persuade by effort
- 丸め込む (marumekomu)to encourage or persuade by effort
- 誑す (tarasu)to encourage or persuade by effort
- 賺す (sukasu)to encourage or persuade by effort
- 甘言 (kangen)to encourage or persuade by effort
Latin lactō, sublectō
- lactōto encourage or persuade by effort
- sublectōto encourage or persuade by effort
Māori whakapati, ene
- whakapatito encourage or persuade by effort
- eneto encourage or persuade by effort
- eneeneto encourage or persuade by effort
Polish naciągać, naciągnąć
- naciągaćto encourage or persuade by effort
- naciągnąćto encourage or persuade by effort
- przymilać sięto encourage or persuade by effort
- przymilić sięto encourage or persuade by effort
- przypochlebiać sięto encourage or persuade by effort
- przypochlebić sięto encourage or persuade by effort
Portuguese lisonjear, persuadir
- lisonjearto encourage or persuade by effort
- persuadirto encourage or persuade by effort
- adularto encourage or persuade by effort
- bajularto encourage or persuade by effort
Russian улеща́ть, увещева́ть
- улеща́ть (uleščátʹ)to encourage or persuade by effort
- увещева́ть (uveščevátʹ)to encourage or persuade by effort
Spanish engatusar, lisonjear
- engatusarto encourage or persuade by effort
- lisonjearto encourage or persuade by effort
- camelarto encourage or persuade by effort
- empaquetarto encourage or persuade by effort
- cantusarto encourage or persuade by effort
- encatusarto encourage or persuade by effort
- encantusarto encourage or persuade by effort
Welsh cocsio, swcro
- cocsioto encourage or persuade by effort
- swcroto encourage or persuade by effort
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with cajole
Cite this entry
cajole. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cajole
“cajole.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cajole. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “cajole,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/cajole.
Source: cajole on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.