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
Its ballistic missile arsenal and advancing nuclear program gave it coercive leverage that no neighbor could ignore.
—
Andrew Ghalili, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
American power is not forged through coercive foreign adventures but is built on the economic dynamism of its states.
—Markos Kounalakis, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Each coercive step in this conflict – from the 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal, to the 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander, to the June 2025 strikes – was framed as restoring leverage.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
What earlier artists were required to conceal—the violence of communist transformation, the coercive pressure converting practice into state apparatus—Meldibekov’s installations make forensically available.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 Mar. 2026
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Andrew Ghalili, Boston Herald, 7 Mar. 2026
American power is not forged through coercive foreign adventures but is built on the economic dynamism of its states.
—Markos Kounalakis, Mercury News, 5 Mar. 2026
Each coercive step in this conflict – from the 2018 withdrawal from the nuclear deal, to the 2020 assassination of Qasem Soleimani, Iran’s most powerful military commander, to the June 2025 strikes – was framed as restoring leverage.
—Farah N. Jan, The Conversation, 2 Mar. 2026
What earlier artists were required to conceal—the violence of communist transformation, the coercive pressure converting practice into state apparatus—Meldibekov’s installations make forensically available.
—Anel Rakhimzhanova, Artforum, 1 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 14 Mar. 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?
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