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

DeSantis has said policies that reject unvaccinated children are wrong and coercive, and Ladapo last year pushed for a bill that sought to offer more protection for unvaccinated patients. —Romy Ellenbogen, Miami Herald, 26 Jan. 2026

New York should invest in mental health urgent-care centers, supportive housing, and respite centers, all of which give people accessible, non-coercive places to receive care. —Sakeena Trice, New York Daily News, 22 Jan. 2026

This form of coercive diplomacy threatens the political and economic development of not only Greenland but Europe. —Steven Lamy, Fortune, 22 Jan. 2026

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

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