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

Analysts have pointed out that the United States already maintains a military presence in Greenland, which has shrunk dramatically over the decades, and so question the necessity of coercive economic measures tied to territorial ambitions. —Willem Marx, NPR, 18 Jan. 2026

Violent revolutions are coercive contests; they are won by those who can organize force, not mobilize hashtags. —Karim Sadjadpour, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026

Despite those pressures, Ali cautioned that Iran’s coercive institutions remain loyal. —Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 13 Jan. 2026

Behavioral psychology calls this coercive control, maintaining dominance through unpredictability, dependency, and psychological pressure rather than overt force. —Rabbi Bruce D. Forman, Sun Sentinel, 13 Jan. 2026

Word History

Etymology

coerce + -ive

First Known Use

circa 1600, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing coercive

• coercive force

Rhymes for coercive

• aversive
• discursive
• dispersive
• immersive
• recursive
• subversive
• cursive

Legal 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