MEANING
To persuade someone through persistent coaxing, flattering talk, or gentle appeals.
Use it for
Words that belong together
- cajole someone into
- cajole a favor from
On the page
He cajoled the keeper into opening the archive.
She tried to cajole a smile from the exhausted child.
Nearby words
Related words
Word forms
- Base
- cajole
- Past tense
- cajoled
- Past participle
- cajoled
- Present participle
- cajoling
Full tense & aspect guide
- Present
- cajole
- Present continuous
- am/is/are cajoling
- Present perfect
- have/has cajoled
- Present perfect continuous
- have/has been cajoling
- Past
- cajoled
- Past continuous
- was/were cajoling
- Past perfect
- had cajoled
- Past perfect continuous
- had been cajoling
- Future
- will cajole
- Future continuous
- will be cajoling
- Future perfect
- will have cajoled
- Future perfect continuous
- will have been cajoling
Choose the auxiliary that agrees with your subject. These are constructions of one word, not separate entries.
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Usage notes
Primary category: literary. Forms: cajole; cajoles; cajoled; cajoled; cajoling Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Third-person singular: cajoles.
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