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

Through a series of maneuvers, Rue manages to trade Laurie’s coercive employ for that of Alamo Brown (Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje), a strip club magnate who quickly puts her to work managing one of his establishments. —Alison Herman, Variety, 8 Apr. 2026

State legislatures can define conversion therapy a bit more narrowly, for example, by prohibiting the physical and more coercive techniques that initially gave rise to these bans. —Kevin Cope, The Conversation, 3 Apr. 2026

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

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