as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
in that class I read books under compulsion that I ordinarily wouldn't have considered
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Recent Examples of compulsion
The system continued, musing earnestly: Is this response born of love and wisdom, or is it born of compulsion?
—
D. Graham Burnett, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
This film left us thinking about big topics like truth, persuasion, and compulsion, positioning us alongside the filmmaker and leading us to want to talk and think about this film for hours.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 26 May 2025
In response, Sarah’s emotional state swings between consternation and compulsion as her solitary writer’s retreat morphs into a poolside war of wills between stuffy dame and slightly unhinged French gamine.
—Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
Books The Faithless Generation Paul Baumann Traditional religion thrives in stable communities, not a world where innovators aim to ‘break things.’
Books
Lies, Damned Lies, and Ideology
John O’Sullivan
The ideological lie persists, demanding compulsion to enforce its vision.
—Mary Katharine Ham, National Review, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsion
D. Graham Burnett, New Yorker, 26 Apr. 2025
This film left us thinking about big topics like truth, persuasion, and compulsion, positioning us alongside the filmmaker and leading us to want to talk and think about this film for hours.
—Matthew Carey, Deadline, 26 May 2025
In response, Sarah’s emotional state swings between consternation and compulsion as her solitary writer’s retreat morphs into a poolside war of wills between stuffy dame and slightly unhinged French gamine.
—Gráinne O'Hara Belluomo, Footwear News, 26 May 2025
Books The Faithless Generation Paul Baumann Traditional religion thrives in stable communities, not a world where innovators aim to ‘break things.’
Books
Lies, Damned Lies, and Ideology
John O’Sullivan
The ideological lie persists, demanding compulsion to enforce its vision.
—Mary Katharine Ham, National Review, 17 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsion
Noun
-
The sweltering conditions were perhaps an incidental metaphor for the pressure the industry is feeling as the global luxury industry experiences a troubling slowdown.—
Alice Pfeiffer,
CNN Money,
1 July 2025
-
Trump is exerting significant pressure on holdouts to fall in line, but passage in the lower chamber is not guaranteed.—
Morgan Chalfant,
semafor.com,
1 July 2025
Noun
-
Greater Robustness And Reliability: Better equipped to handle out-of-distribution data and novel scenarios safely and reliably by incorporating safety parameters, constraints and logical invariants.—
Anuradha Weeraman,
Forbes.com,
1 July 2025
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But as a two-term governor in a blue state, Pritzker has the luxury of not having to make a choice under the usual constraints of seeking a political advantage, said Robin Johnson, a governmental relations, public policy and political consultant.—
Olivia Olander,
Chicago Tribune,
30 June 2025
Noun
-
The trial delved into complexities of relationships and questions of consent and coercion.—
Kara Scannell,
CNN Money,
4 July 2025
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Moldova has been shaken by Russian meddling in the form of energy coercion, election interference and disinformation campaigns.—
arkansasonline.com,
arkansasonline.com,
4 July 2025
Noun
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His spouse is perilously close to beginning an affair with the best man at their wedding, now one of his authors, a war poet disillusioned by violence and fanaticism.—
Thomas Mallon,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
According to the Centers for Disease Control, one in 4 women and one in 7 men have experienced severe intimate partner violence.—
Liz Roberts,
New York Daily News,
30 June 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsion. Accessed 16 Jul. 2025.
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