Robertson Davies
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However hard we try, we can’t cajole the full history of cajole from the cages of obscurity. We know that it comes from French cajoler, meaning "to give much attention to; to make a fuss over; to flatter or persuade with flattery"—no surprise there. But the next chapter of the word’s history may, or may not, be for the birds: it’s possible that cajoler is descended from a word that is cage-bound twice over. One potential ancestor both comes from a word meaning "birdcage" and was formed under the influence of the Anglo-French word cage, whence also comes our word cage. The ancestor of our word jail is in this lineage as well.
Examples of cajole in a Sentence
Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 24 Oct. 2025
But, rather than give up, Azel became a pickleball advocate, tirelessly educating, lobbying and cajoling politicians, park directors and anyone else who would listen about the incredible growth of the sport nation-wide.
—Walter Villa, Miami Herald, 14 Oct. 2025
Touches five and six are merely the cajoling preamble to the pièce de résistance, aka touch seven, a piercing through ball which splits defender Goncalo Inacio and backtracking forward Geny Catamo like a warm bread knife through a ciabatta roll straight out of Mama’s oven.
—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2025
The United States also developed measures to cajole and coerce other countries into remaining nonnuclear, including extending security assurances, supporting civilian scientific endeavors, and threatening to cut off military support and impose economic penalties on proliferating states.
—Mariano-Florentino CuÉllar, Foreign Affairs, 25 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for cajole
Cite this Entry
“Cajole.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/cajole. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
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