1,400 new words in our dictionary! — Parasocial, glow-up, promposal & more
1,400 new words in our dictionary! — More

cacoëthes

noun

Definition of cacoëthesnext
as in compulsion

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for cacoëthes
  1. compulsion
  2. craving
  3. infatuation
  4. yearning
  5. thirst
  6. fascination
  7. longing
  8. itch
Noun
  • When courts do the regulating Given this legislative lethargy, state attorneys general sometimes step in to protect the public from companies that exploit compulsion-inducing products.
    — Jonathan Caulkins, The Conversation, 9 Sep. 2026
  • But per the Black List, the story follows an antisocial man suffering from obsessive compulsions who is haunted by the death of his hoarder mother.
    — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of compulsion
Noun
  • Kanarek, a former heroin user, now took Suboxone to ease cravings.
    — Ian Parker, New Yorker, 14 Sep. 2026
  • For customers who still miss this seasonal treat, the new mini pies will undoubtedly satisfy your craving.
    — Sophia Beams, Better Homes & Gardens, 9 Sep. 2026
Definition of craving
Noun
  • My own Hard Rock infatuation came full circle on a 2022 mother-daughter trip.
    — Jessica Chapel, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 Aug. 2026
  • Gad performed a new song about his character's latest infatuation.
    — Anthony Robledo, USA Today, 15 Aug. 2026
Definition of infatuation
Noun
  • Every window of every building the bus crawled past opened a severe yearning in me, as though my life here had become abstract or theoretical.
    — Hisham Matar, New Yorker, 6 Sep. 2026
  • And what’s dramatic about this is that having grown up on a remote mountain farm in the 1940s, away from almost any remnant of civilization, Mikey has zero context for his erotic yearnings.
    — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026
Definition of yearning
Noun
  • This short, high-spirited tall tale careens through an all-Black Oklahoma town bursting with gossip, humor and a thirst for justice.
    — Lizz Schumer, PEOPLE, 2 Sep. 2026
  • Anecdotally, gardeners find that thirst drives this behavior.
    — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 2 Sep. 2026
Definition of thirst
Noun
  • Participants in these programs show a grassroots love of learning history and a fascination with the past.
    — Nora Oakes Howard, Hartford Courant, 16 Sep. 2026
  • The ’90s — its music, its films, its pre-social-media privacy — has become an object of fascination, and Long argues the era can’t be imitated or counterfeited.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 16 Sep. 2026
Definition of fascination
Noun
  • What shines through, however, are the lively longings of Kit herself as the movie doubles down on an interest in science that is only intimated in the novel.
    — Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 4 Sep. 2026
  • As the symbols of the winter of 2026 become folk art in Minnesota, there continues to be a longing for answers, and for a recognition of the lasting damage that the surge inflicted on the state.
    — Emily Witt, New Yorker, 3 Sep. 2026
Definition of longing
Noun
  • Donald joins a list of athletes who had called it quits after putting together Hall of Fame-caliber careers only to get the itch and decide to come back to play.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 1 Sep. 2026
  • Culturally, college football scratches the human itch for tribalism, which America’s ethos of individualism fortunately discourages.
    — George F. Will, Washington Post, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of itch
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

cacodemons
cacoëthes
cacoëtheses
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Cacoëthes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/caco%C3%ABthes. Accessed 17 Sep. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of watershed

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary

Words from the 'Odyssey'

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Sept. 18
See More

Popular

See More

Why do we use apostrophes to show possession?

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Back to School Vocabulary
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
funny guinea pig in glasses reading a book
Challenging Words You Should Know Vol 2 Words to the wise
See All