as in unwilling
not made or done willingly or by choice
coerced participation that couldn't last
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in forced
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
was coerced into signing the document
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Recent Examples of coerced
Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
Prosecutors retried one of the men, John Kogut – who had made a coerced confession to the murder – but he was acquitted.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Winters writes that this initial system of coerced labor didn’t go very well for the elites.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Like Netflix's popular 2015 docuseries Making a Murderer, The Yogurt Shop Murders explores unethical interrogation tactics used by law enforcement and questions of coerced confessions.
—EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Hearst maintained that she was coerced, but she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Feb. 2026
The state’s prisons unconstitutionally coerced labor by levying severe punishments — including solitary confinement — against prisoners who refused to work, Denver District Court Judge Sarah Wallace found in the 61-page ruling.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Lawsuit alleges Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem coerced Apple to remove Indiana man's ICE monitoring app.
—Evan Frank, IndyStar, 12 Feb. 2026
Being coerced into recreational activities against your will suggests a unique type of loneliness—for Sutkowski, one that represents emotional trials far deeper than just an unhappy season in dusty cleats.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
According to the recent court filings, members are coerced to provide all of the labor in the GCCA compound without compensation.
—Jane Borden, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2026
Russia’s Defense and Foreign Ministries have not responded to CNN’s request for comment on allegations that some recruits were misled or coerced.
—Larry Madowo, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Butt maintains his innocence, claiming his confession was coerced through torture, and that evidence against him was planted, The Daily Telegraph reported.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Deradicalization is equally vital—not as a coerced reeducation, but as part of a healing process that encompasses Israelis as well as Palestinians.
—Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025
Prosecutors retried one of the men, John Kogut – who had made a coerced confession to the murder – but he was acquitted.
—Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025
Winters writes that this initial system of coerced labor didn’t go very well for the elites.
—Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 7 Aug. 2025
Like Netflix's popular 2015 docuseries Making a Murderer, The Yogurt Shop Murders explores unethical interrogation tactics used by law enforcement and questions of coerced confessions.
—EW.com, 5 Aug. 2025
Verb
In another case in 2023, authorities said an adult posing as a child used Roblox's chat function to contact a 12-year-old boy and later coerced him into sending explicit photos.
—Zachary Bynum, CBS News, 18 Feb. 2026
Hearst maintained that she was coerced, but she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison.
—David Faris, TheWeek, 16 Feb. 2026
The state’s prisons unconstitutionally coerced labor by levying severe punishments — including solitary confinement — against prisoners who refused to work, Denver District Court Judge Sarah Wallace found in the 61-page ruling.
—Shelly Bradbury, Denver Post, 16 Feb. 2026
Lawsuit alleges Pam Bondi, Kristi Noem coerced Apple to remove Indiana man's ICE monitoring app.
—Evan Frank, IndyStar, 12 Feb. 2026
Being coerced into recreational activities against your will suggests a unique type of loneliness—for Sutkowski, one that represents emotional trials far deeper than just an unhappy season in dusty cleats.
—Billie Bugara, Pitchfork, 10 Feb. 2026
According to the recent court filings, members are coerced to provide all of the labor in the GCCA compound without compensation.
—Jane Borden, Rolling Stone, 5 Feb. 2026
Russia’s Defense and Foreign Ministries have not responded to CNN’s request for comment on allegations that some recruits were misled or coerced.
—Larry Madowo, CNN Money, 4 Feb. 2026
Butt maintains his innocence, claiming his confession was coerced through torture, and that evidence against him was planted, The Daily Telegraph reported.
—Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 29 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coerced
Adjective
-
Iran continues to be unwilling to even discuss its ballistic missile program.—
Nina Srinivasan Rathbun,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2026
-
White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration was unwilling to agree to Democrats' demands that federal officers clearly identify themselves, remove masks during operations and display unique ID numbers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Then a week later, Heraskevych received a wave of sympathetic support when he was forced out of the skeleton for refusing to compete without a helmet adorned with more than 20 elite Ukrainian athletes and coaches who have been killed in the war.—
Kevin Baxter,
Los Angeles Times,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Scottie Barnes won the opening 12-minute game for the Stars with a game-ending 3-pointer in overtime, beating the World 37-36 after Edwards forced OT.—
Greg Beacham,
Twin Cities,
16 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
His response was considered a striking, and spontaneous, moral condemnation of McCarthy’s excesses.—
Kristen Monroe,
Chicago Tribune,
17 Feb. 2026
-
The spontaneous pep talk from Madonna came shortly before Glenn competed on the ice for the women’s short, which ended with the American at 13th place in the overall skater standings.—
Hannah Dailey,
Billboard,
17 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The three largest commercial providers of DNA products – 23andMe, AncestryDNA and MyHeritage – generally prohibit law enforcement access to their genetic data and would release it only if compelled by a warrant or court order.—
Andy Rose,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
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Despite not having many suggestions, Swonk still feels compelled to document the numbers that suggest not all is well.—
Andrea Riquier,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Dressed in his all-white tuxedo and matching skates, camera operator Jordan Cowan has become an accidental star at this year’s Olympic figure skating events in Milan.—
Ben Church,
CNN Money,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Several parents of children who died by suicide or accidental harm linked to online trends are expected to attend the proceedings.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Last month, the park service obliged, eliminating an outdoor exhibit at Independence National Historical Park, in Philadelphia, where George Washington’s house once stood.—
Thomas Chatterton Williams,
The Atlantic,
13 Feb. 2026
-
James obliged, but the Heat still capitalized on the moment by selling T-shirts of him in the original black mask.—
Ian Servantes,
Footwear News,
9 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
However, drivers are not legally obligated to submit to a field sobriety test, pre-arrest test or cheek swab, according to the Law Offices of Grech and Parker in Riverside.—
Camryn Dadey,
Sacbee.com,
17 Feb. 2026
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Mental health experts say people should never feel obligated to come out, especially when their safety is at risk.—
Edward Segarra,
USA Today,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coerced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coerced. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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