The Collaborative Dictionary

Wheedle \Whee"dle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Wheedled; p. pr. & vb. n. Wheedling.] [Cf. G. wedeln to wag with the tail, as a dog, wedel a fan, tail, brush, OHG. wadal; akin to G. wehen to blow, and E. wind, n.] [1913 Webster]

To entice by soft words; to cajole; to flatter; to coax. [1913 Webster] The unlucky art of wheedling fools. --Dryden. [1913 Webster] And wheedle a world that loves him not. --Tennyson. [1913 Webster]

To grain, or get away, by flattery. [1913 Webster] A deed of settlement of the best part of her estate, which I wheedled out of her. --Congreve. [1913 Webster]

Word Net

wheedling n : the act of urging by means of teasing or flattery [syn: blandishment]

Moby Thesaurus

adulation, adulatory, allurement, bland, blandishing, blandishment, blarney, blarneying, bunkum, buttery, buttonholing, cajolement, cajolery, cajoling, coaxing, compliment, complimentary, conning, courtierly, courtly, demanding, dunning, engagement, enlistment, exhortation, exhortative, exhortatory, eyewash, fair words, fair-spoken, fawning, fine-spoken, flattering, flattery, fulsome, grease, gushing, honey-mouthed, honey-tongued, honeyed, honeyed phrases, honeyed words, hortation, hortative, hortatory, importunate, importunateness, importunity, incense, inducement, insincere, insinuating, insistent, jawboning, lobbying, mealymouthed, nagging, obsequious, oil, oily, oily-tongued, palaver, persuading, persuasion, persuasive, pestering, plaguing, plying, praise, preaching, preachment, pressing, pressure, pretty lies, sales talk, salesmanship, selling, slimy, slobbery, smarmy, smooth, smooth-spoken, smooth-tongued, snow job, soap, soapy, soft soap, soft-soaping, solicitation, suasion, suasive, sweet nothings, sweet talk, sweet words, sycophancy, sycophantic, teasing, unctuous, urgency, urgent, urging, working on

English

Verb

wheedling

1. present participle of wheedle