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
And that compulsion — a genuine, profound desire to share her findings with the world — makes for a classic, stick-to-your ribs documentary experience about a fascinating person.
—
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
However, there is considerable compulsion to open it sooner rather than later.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Instead of the bright colors and satisfying crunch sounds that accompany influencers’ recipe videos on Instagram, food is shot as if through Maddie’s eyes, as objects of shameful compulsion.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
This compulsion to celebrate himself in general, and to celebrate such a juvenile, harmless gesture in particular, should be yet another reason to lose all patience with Lee Raybon.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsion
Kate Erbland, IndieWire, 11 Sep. 2025
However, there is considerable compulsion to open it sooner rather than later.
—Caroline Reid, Forbes.com, 8 Sep. 2025
Instead of the bright colors and satisfying crunch sounds that accompany influencers’ recipe videos on Instagram, food is shot as if through Maddie’s eyes, as objects of shameful compulsion.
—Hershal Pandya, Vulture, 6 Sep. 2025
This compulsion to celebrate himself in general, and to celebrate such a juvenile, harmless gesture in particular, should be yet another reason to lose all patience with Lee Raybon.
—Alan Sepinwall, Rolling Stone, 4 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsion
Noun
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Eight New York Jets showed pressure against just five available Broncos blockers, with the rest of Nix’s arsenal split out wide as Denver looked for a spark deep in its own territory.—
Luca Evans,
Denver Post,
17 Oct. 2025
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Freshman Eva Karacalidis starred in her debut at center-mid, helping the Porkers apply a wealth of offensive pressure in an 11-shot first half.—
Tom Mulherin,
Boston Herald,
17 Oct. 2025
Noun
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OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT, has inked a number of blockbuster deals this year, aiming to ease constraints on computing power.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
13 Oct. 2025
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The commission’s current chair, Ricardo Garcia-Acosta, declined to comment on the upcoming police chief search, citing time constraints.—
Shomik Mukherjee,
Mercury News,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
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The Hatch Act prohibits certain political activities by federal government employees and aims to protect federal employees from political coercion at work.—
Lillian Rizzo,Leslie Josephs,
CNBC,
14 Oct. 2025
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Protect yourself at the first sign of coercion or impropriety.—
Taijuan Moorman,
USA Today,
6 Oct. 2025
Noun
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Second, the attackers combined traditional data theft with intimidation tactics, reaching out to parents directly.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Oct. 2025
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The run-up to the vote was marred by arrests, intimidation, and disqualifications that left little doubt about the government’s determination to retain power.—
Barney Henderson,
MSNBC Newsweek,
10 Oct. 2025
Noun
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But Afghan-Pakistan relations have soured amid an uptick in militant violence against Pakistan.—
Lex Harvey,
CNN Money,
15 Oct. 2025
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Given the previous behavior of Netanyahu and the Hamas leadership, there is every chance that violence might erupt again.—
Bobby Ghosh,
Time,
14 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsion. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.
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