conscription

noun

con·​scrip·​tion kən-ˈskrip-shən 

: compulsory enrollment of persons especially for military service : draft

During the war the armed forces were heavily dependent on conscription.

Did you know?

With its scrip- root, conscription means basically writing someone's name on a list—a list that, unfortunately, a lot of people usually don't want to be on. Conscription has existed at least since ancient Egypt's Old Kingdom (27th century B.C.), though universal conscription has been rare throughout history. Forms of conscription were used by Prussia, Switzerland, Russia, and other European powers in the 17th and 18th centuries. In the U.S., conscription was first applied during the Civil War, by both the North and the South. In the North there were pockets of resistance, and the draft led to riots in several cities. The U.S. abandoned conscription at the end of the war and didn't revive it until World War I.

Examples of conscription in a Sentence

young people who face conscription into the army

Recent Examples on the Web

Even if our societies have deep traditions of volunteering and civic contribution, there’s also long-standing skepticism about compulsory service because it’s often associated with military conscription. —Belonging Forum, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Each year, roughly 13,000 ultra-Orthodox men reach the conscription age of 18, but less than 10% enlist, according to a parliamentary committee. —Melanie Lidman, Los Angeles Times, 1 June 2026

In 2001, when Germany still had conscription, the headcount was 300,000 — more than a third of them conscripts. —ABC News, 4 May 2026

Military conscription is mandatory in Cuba for men over the age of 18, who undergo two years of military training. —Sarah Moreno, Miami Herald, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

see conscript entry 1

First Known Use

1800, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for conscription

• ascription
• decryption
• description
• egyptian
• encryption
• inscription
• prescription
• proscription
• subscription
• transcription
• circumscription
• misdescription