as in to coax
to get (someone) to do something by gentle urging, special attention, or flattery
she can sweet-talk her besotted boyfriend into just about anything
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in butter
excessive praise
enough of this sweet talk—just give me your honest opinion of my performance
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of sweet-talk
Jeffrey Collins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2024
Olsen sweet-talks Ellen into getting a little closer before doing the same open-mouth silent scream that Carmen did before passing Harbinger into Arlo.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
John Benson, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Cuban boleros, street-corner sweet talk, Mexican songs, Frank Sinatra ballads, and Frankie Laine melodramas . . .
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 4 May 2023
See all Example Sentences for sweet-talk 
Verb
Their state leaders can both sweet-talk Democrats into switching parties and pull out numbers showing one good Republican opponent could end a Democrat’s decades of public service.
—Jeffrey Collins, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Feb. 2024
Olsen sweet-talks Ellen into getting a little closer before doing the same open-mouth silent scream that Carmen did before passing Harbinger into Arlo.
—James Grebey, Vulture, 17 Oct. 2024
Noun
During the ride to the police station, the driver was trying to sweet talk the officer into not arresting him and instead letting his wife pick him up.
—John Benson, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Cuban boleros, street-corner sweet talk, Mexican songs, Frank Sinatra ballads, and Frankie Laine melodramas . . .
—Matthew Gavin Frank, Harper's Magazine, 4 May 2023
See all Example Sentences for sweet-talk
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sweet-talk
Verb
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Prairie-Rocca barricaded himself for about 90 minutes before the police were able to coax him out, Law & Crime reported.—
Gabrielle Rockson,
People.com,
6 Jan. 2025
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At the Hammer Museum, walking into a small veiled room brought you to a large glass box within which live bees build honeycomb patterns on top of sculptures that coax those patterns into works of art.—
Monisha Ravisetti,
Space.com,
4 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Participants learn to make halloumi, mozzarella, mascarpone, and butter using raw milk and vegetarian rennet.—
Joseph V Micallef,
Forbes,
12 Jan. 2025
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Other things to cook this weekend: brown stew chicken, a taste of the Caribbean, excellent with rice and peas and steamed cabbage dressed with spiced rum butter and scallions.—
Sam Sifton,
New York Times,
10 Jan. 2025
Noun
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People should wash any skin that comes into contact with the slurry with water and soft soap, before using a hand cream to avoid dryness and cracking.—
Lauren Penington,
The Denver Post,
2 Sep. 2024
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Most of the questions aimed at the ironic American director of Raging Bull, Taxi Driver and Goodfellas were less softballs than soft soap, with reporters as interested in Scorsese’s favorite food — his mother’s lasagna recipe — as the movies in his peerless filmography.—
Scott Roxborough,
The Hollywood Reporter,
20 Feb. 2024
Noun
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Experiment with different feedback styles, like balancing praise with constructive input.—
Scott Hutcheson,
Forbes,
16 Jan. 2025
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El Camino Real goalkeeper Anthony Salmeron received special praise from coach Ian Kogan.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Jan. 2025
Noun
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Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, and the best and most admiring of these Mann-handlers is, by a huge margin, 2018’s Den of Thieves.—
David Fear,
Rolling Stone,
10 Jan. 2025
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And in this bareknuckle world of corporate executive leadership, Zuckerberg and the like have little choice but to spin up some flattery and lay it on thick.—
Allison Morrow,
CNN,
4 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Boucher was on the hunt for Abba-Zaba, a chewy taffy bar with a real peanut butter center.—
Jessica Ma,
Sacramento Bee,
20 July 2024
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The texture ranges in consistency from an oil-like substance to a syrupy sap or even a sticky taffy.—
Jalen Williams,
Detroit Free Press,
9 July 2024
Noun
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Nikki Glaser earned widespread acclaim for her hosting duties at the 2025 Golden Globes, where her monologue poked fun at Diddy, Ben Affleck and Timothée Chalamet’s mustache.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
6 Jan. 2025
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Mikey Madison, riding high on acclaim for her buzz-worthy role in Anora, and Jessica Gunning, who took home a Golden Globe for her powerful performance in Baby Reindeer, were spotted chatting at the bar.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
6 Jan. 2025
Thesaurus Entries Near sweet-talk
Cite this Entry
“Sweet-talk.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sweet-talk. Accessed 22 Jan. 2025.
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