coercive

adjective

co·​er·​cive kō-ˈər-siv How to pronounce coercive (audio)
: serving or intended to coerce
coercive power
coercive measures
coercively adverb
coerciveness noun

Examples of coercive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web At the same time, Russia’s coercive apparatus went after Mr. Navalny with an increasing ferocity, poisoning him with a nerve agent in 2020, imprisoning him in inhumane conditions and ultimately sending him to a remote former gulag facility above the Arctic Circle. Oleg Matsnev, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Experts and activists have expressed ambivalence about the coercive aspects of the new law, such as strict punishments for presenting false information and failure to apply within 30 days of receiving a notice from the registrar, saying this contradicts legislation’s supposedly progressive thrust. Anant Gupta, Washington Post, 8 Feb. 2024 By standardizing the use of surveillance cameras nationwide, the party has as much coercive capability as before — and now has additional oversight and control over its sprawling surveillance state. Mary Hui, Quartz, 21 Feb. 2024 Any program that practices punitive, shameful, controlling, coercive, intimidating behavior should be reprimanded, if not shut down. Sara M Moniuszko, USA TODAY, 20 Feb. 2024 Could the product be produced without coercive taxation? Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 28 Jan. 2024 An appeals court deemed some officials’ actions — particularly those of the White House — potentially coercive, but vastly whittled down a district court’s broad prohibition of government officials’ correspondence with social media companies. Sarah Owermohle, STAT, 6 Feb. 2024 Throughout history, communist countries have alternated between coercive measures aiming to produce larger families and ones intended to shrink the average family size. Chelsea Follett, National Review, 18 Jan. 2024 Xi’s coercive measures and saber rattling have contributed to the hardening rift. Ishaan Tharoor, Washington Post, 12 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'coercive.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

coerce + -ive

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of coercive was circa 1600

Dictionary Entries Near coercive

Cite this Entry

“Coercive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coercive. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Legal Definition

coercive

adjective
co·​er·​cive kō-ˈər-siv How to pronounce coercive (audio)
1
: serving or intended to coerce
2
: resulting from coercion
to protect women from coercive intimacyKimberle Crenshaw
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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