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
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.
Populations would lose their bargaining power, and robot police and armies could turbocharge forms of coercive control. Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025 The influencer, who was in her 20s and had garnered over 300,000 followers on TikTok, allegedly wanted to cut ties with Choi due to his coercive instructions and unreasonable scheduling, according to the reports. Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025 Traditional regulation is coercive but predictable. Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025 Because, for good reason, there is little centralized control over pedagogy, there are few swift or coercive ways for a college to intervene. Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for coercive

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

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Cite this Entry

“Coercive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coercive. Accessed 15 Oct. 2025.

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

More from Merriam-Webster on coercive

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