coercive

adjective

co·​er·​cive kō-ˈər-siv 

: serving or intended to coerce

coercive power

coercive measures

coercively adverb

coerciveness noun

Examples of coercive in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The perception of an enduring terrorist threat increased support for coercive policies, even among Americans otherwise resistant to authoritarian appeals. — Daniel Benjamin, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2026

In some cases, preexisting latifundia were modernized and adapted to the needs of export commodity production, frequently on the basis of outright slavery or any number of coercive arrangements like debt peonage and sharecropping. — Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2026

However, their relationship was rocky, with Mica’s friends and family alleging that John-Paul exerted coercive control over her in Death of the Pastor’s Wife. — Kelly Allen, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Those brands have also faced allegations of aggressive or coercive sales practices in social media complaints and, in some cases, court proceedings. — Kristine Lazar, CBS News, 27 Aug. 2026

Word History

Etymology

coerce + -ive

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing coercive

• coercive force

Rhymes for coercive

• cursive
• aversive
• discursive
• dispersive
• immersive
• recursive
• subversive

Legal Definition

coercive

adjective

co·​er·​cive kō-ˈər-siv 

1

: serving or intended to coerce

2

: resulting from coercion

to protect women from coercive intimacy

—Kimberle Crenshaw