persuasiveness.

The ability of an argument, presentation or speaker to move others toward accepting a position.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• rhetorical persuasiveness
• persuasiveness of an argument

On the page

The speech’s persuasiveness rested on a vivid example that was not representative of the wider evidence.

The revision improved persuasiveness by making the assumptions visible rather than hiding them.

Usage notes

Primary category: analysis / argumentation / evidence. Forms: Usually uncountable; use a plural for distinct instances or types only where natural. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: evidence, argumentation, evaluation, qualification. Disciplines: reasoning, research, essay writing. Commonness: moderately common.