What does cajolement mean?
Cajolement is a noun describing the act of winning someone over through flattery, gentle coaxing, or charming persistence rather than force or straightforward argument. It belongs to a small family of words derived from 'cajole', a term borrowed into English from French in the seventeenth century. The word implies a certain artfulness on the persuader's part: someone employing cajolement is typically being ingratiating, perhaps even slightly deceptive, wrapping their request in compliments and soft words. Because of this, it tends to carry a mildly disapproving connotation — one might speak of resisting a salesman's cajolement or yielding to a child's cajolement. In modern usage it is considerably rarer than 'cajolery', its close synonym, and appears mostly in literary or formal writing. It remains a useful word, however, precisely because it captures a specific mode of persuasion that sits between sincere encouragement and outright manipulation.
nounThe action or practice of persuading someone to do something through flattery, gentle coaxing, or insincere praise rather than force or direct argument.
- Persuasion achieved through flattery, coaxing, or gentle deceitful charm.
"Through sheer cajolement, she persuaded her uncle to lend her the car for the weekend."
"No amount of cajolement could convince the cat to come down from the roof."
"He secured the contract less by negotiation than by patient cajolement."
Rarely pluralized; the uncountable form is standard in most contexts.
"His various cajolements eventually wore down her resistance."
Cajolement comes from a French word thought to trace back to 'gaiole' — a cage — as if sweet words were the lure that coaxed a bird into captivity.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of cajolement
Cajolement derives from the verb 'cajole', which English borrowed from French in the mid-seventeenth century. The French word 'cajoler' means to coax or chatter like birds in a cage, and etymologists have connected it to 'gaiole' (cage) — the same root that gives us the English word 'jail'. The suffix '-ment' forms nouns of action or result, so cajolement names the act or process of cajoling itself.
How cajolement is actually used
Cajolement is a relatively rare and somewhat literary alternative to its sibling word 'cajolery'. It carries a mildly negative connotation, implying that the persuader is being ingratiating or manipulative rather than honest.
Easily confused with cajolement
Cajolement and cajolery are near-synonyms meaning coaxing persuasion, but cajolery is the more established and frequently used term in modern English.