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
Gorsuch emphasized that Colorado—and other states—remain free to prohibit coercive or aversive practices and to regulate conduct that causes demonstrable harm.
—
MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
For a brief window, the coercive levers were externally weakened — not by employer choice, but by circumstance.
—Charles Edward Gehrke, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Ehrlich’s use of ecological carrying capacity – the idea that any environment has a finite number of resources to support a population before collapsing – justified coercive population control initiatives as foreign and domestic environmental policies in the minds of many Americans.
—Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Farahmand said the hangings are also intended to counter a growing perception — inside Iran and among opponents abroad — that sustained attacks on the police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could eventually fracture the state’s coercive power.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
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MSNBC Newsweek, 31 Mar. 2026
For a brief window, the coercive levers were externally weakened — not by employer choice, but by circumstance.
—Charles Edward Gehrke, Fortune, 28 Mar. 2026
Ehrlich’s use of ecological carrying capacity – the idea that any environment has a finite number of resources to support a population before collapsing – justified coercive population control initiatives as foreign and domestic environmental policies in the minds of many Americans.
—Brian C. Keegan, The Conversation, 26 Mar. 2026
Farahmand said the hangings are also intended to counter a growing perception — inside Iran and among opponents abroad — that sustained attacks on the police and the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) could eventually fracture the state’s coercive power.
—Mohammed Tawfeeq, CNN Money, 20 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coercive
Cite this Entry
“Coercive.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/coercive. Accessed 3 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLegal 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
Kimberle CrenshawLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
