inveigle

Synonym Chooser

How does the verb inveigle differ from other similar words?

Some common synonyms of inveigle are decoy, entice, lure, seduce, and tempt. While all these words mean "to lead astray from one's true course," inveigle implies enticing by cajoling or flattering.

fund-raisers inveigling wealthy alumni

When is it sensible to use decoy instead of inveigle?

While in some cases nearly identical to inveigle, decoy implies a luring into entrapment by artifice.

attempting to decoy the enemy into an ambush

When might entice be a better fit than inveigle?

Although the words entice and inveigle have much in common, entice suggests drawing by artful or adroit means.

advertising designed to entice new customers

When could lure be used to replace inveigle?

The words lure and inveigle can be used in similar contexts, but lure implies a drawing into danger, evil, or difficulty through attracting and deceiving.

lured naive investors with get-rich-quick schemes

When is seduce a more appropriate choice than inveigle?

While the synonyms seduce and inveigle are close in meaning, seduce implies a leading astray by persuasion or false promises.

seduced by assurances of assistance

In what contexts can tempt take the place of inveigle?

The meanings of tempt and inveigle largely overlap; however, tempt implies the presenting of an attraction so strong that it overcomes the restraints of conscience or better judgment.

tempted by the offer of money

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of inveigle Unlike his small-time Israeli rivals, the placards implied, Netanyahu was a savvy statesman who punched above his weight on the international stage, thanks to his unaccented English oratory and ability to inveigle the world’s most powerful people. Yair Rosenberg, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025 On hand for the séance is a thoroughly skeptical Poirot, inveigled to attend by a mystery-novelist friend, Ariadne Oliver. Mark Feeney, BostonGlobe.com, 11 Sep. 2023 Norman Mailer tried to inveigle his dinner guests into an orgy, and not long after wrote a cruel letter to Styron, breaking off their friendship. Marion Winik, Washington Post, 15 June 2023 At a ball where Byron was surrounded by a flock of ladies, Lamb inveigled the hostess to introduce her, and, having looked earnestly, wordlessly, into the poet’s face, Lamb immediately turned on her heel. Clare McHugh, Washington Post, 28 May 2023 Another threat that is likely to inveigle itself into the Web3 domain is phishing. Andrew Newman, Forbes, 4 May 2022 All of those thinly veiled efforts to inveigle an answer are met with a stock response. New York Times, 26 Nov. 2021 To reach Peru, Dr. Koepcke had to first get to a port and inveigle his way onto a trans-Atlantic freighter. New York Times, 18 June 2021 The two cell-surface proteins that SARS-CoV-2 uses to make contact with its target cells and inveigle its way into them would fit into this category. The Economist, 20 Aug. 2020
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inveigle
Verb
  • For fifteen years, the Patriotic Millionaires have waged an earnest battle to persuade wealthy people to lobby for higher taxes on themselves.
    Evan Osnos, New Yorker, 26 May 2025
  • The filmmakers told me that Spiegelman’s free-speech run-in with the county school board was instrumental in persuading WNET to back Disaster Is My Muse.
    Daniel Engber, The Atlantic, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • Sirens is smartest when paralleling the entitlement of 21st century American wealth with Ancient Greek divinity, skewering the insularity and entitlement of these modern plutocrats who throw galas to honor themselves and to torment or seduce the mortals who are their employees and playthings.
    Daniel Fienberg, HollywoodReporter, 22 May 2025
  • This would suck capital investment back to America in a nanosecond and financially seduce companies to reshore factories, labs and headquarters back here with bargain-low tax rates.
    Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 14 May 2025
Verb
  • The Navy also has spent considerably more than the others to entice sailors to reenlist, doling out retention bonuses to roughly 70,000 service members for each of the past three years.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 May 2025
  • Duffy recently announced a sweeping program to upgrade the agency's technology infrastructure, as well as hiring incentives to entice more would-be air traffic controllers.
    Zach Wichter, USA Today, 23 May 2025
Verb
  • Brooks, in her movies, lures men to their doom—or taunts men with her availability, only to refuse them.
    David Denby, New Yorker, 23 May 2025
  • He was named head coach of the Red Wings in May 2015 after the Toronto Maple Leafs lured Babcock out of Detroit with an eight-year, $50 million deal, the NHL’s richest contract for a coach at the time.
    Phil Thompson, Chicago Tribune, 22 May 2025
Verb
  • There was interest from the Saudi Pro League last summer, and clubs may be tempted to try again.
    Jay Harris, New York Times, 29 May 2025
  • To design the space, interior designer Laura Gonzalez was tasked with reimagining One Wall Street into a shopping experience luxurious enough to tempt shoppers down to the Financial District.
    Sarah Wood González, Vogue, 27 May 2025
Verb
  • At some point in Oliver Laxe’s beguiling new film Sirat, a character asks a fellow traveler their thoughts on what the end of the world might feel like.
    Lovia Gyarkye, HollywoodReporter, 15 May 2025
  • Sherri Parlay, a good woman with a high libido, is seduced into murder by the beguiling heir to a dry-cleaning fortune.
    Sara Gran, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • May 29, 2025 Marseille is like a siren’s song; for thousands of years, sailors and vagabonds have been drawn in and hooked by its rebellious undercurrent.
    Lily Radziemski, New York Times, 29 May 2025
  • City leaders initially expressed hope that the Plaza, done anew, might even become a bigger draw in June 2026 for the start of the World Cup.
    Eric Adler, Kansas City Star, 29 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Inveigle.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inveigle. Accessed 3 Jun. 2025.

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