COMPULSION Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

compulsion

noun

kəm-ˈpəl-shən

Definition of compulsion

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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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.

Recent Examples of compulsion These obsessions lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions. — Jordan Greene, PEOPLE, 29 June 2026 At a time like this, poetry must embrace a compulsion for awareness. — Literary Hub, 26 June 2026 There’s this prevailing sentiment of perseverance in spite of grief, and a compulsion to dedicate his success to those who witnessed the journey. — Olivier Lafontant, Pitchfork, 25 June 2026 In the nineteen-seventies, hospice care evolved as more people resisted the compulsion to extend life at all costs, preferring instead to focus on dying comfortably, often at home. — Sunita Puri, New Yorker, 6 June 2026 See All Example Sentences for compulsion

Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsion

Noun

The dart to Odunze came with Williams flushing to his right away from pressure in the end zone and then putting a heater on his receiver, who had created separation against Jaylon Johnson.

— Dan Wiederer, New York Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Etzel said the executive order is also intended to put pressure on states that establish vaccine requirements for schools, while potentially setting up additional legal challenges over the federal government’s authority to influence vaccine policy.

— Adisa Hargett-Robinson, The Washington Examiner, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of pressure

Noun

For decades, Washington’s use of economic and military coercion was constrained, at least in part, by the damage that such actions could inflict on the United States, including through oil shocks.

— Jason Bordoff, Foreign Affairs, 14 Aug. 2026
However, coercion and the constant specter of war have also fed disillusionment and conflict fatigue.

— Charlie Campbell, Time, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of coercion

Noun

The violence is the latest sign of armed groups increasingly targeting cities and urban centers in Africa's Sahel region.

— CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
Magneto’s methods of fighting violence with violence may have sometimes been unscrupulous, but his ideology was always compelling, to X-Men members and viewers alike.

— Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026

Definition of violence

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comps

compulsion

compulsions

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“Compulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsion. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of compulsion

noun

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