as in persistent
formal
using force or threats to make someone do something; using coercion
coercive measures
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Recent Examples of coercive
Populations would lose their bargaining power, and robot police and armies could turbocharge forms of coercive control.
—
Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
The influencer, who was in her 20s and had garnered over 300,000 followers on TikTok, allegedly wanted to cut ties with Choi due to his coercive instructions and unreasonable scheduling, according to the reports.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Traditional regulation is coercive but predictable.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Because, for good reason, there is little centralized control over pedagogy, there are few swift or coercive ways for a college to intervene.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coercive
Billy Perrigo, Time, 9 Oct. 2025
The influencer, who was in her 20s and had garnered over 300,000 followers on TikTok, allegedly wanted to cut ties with Choi due to his coercive instructions and unreasonable scheduling, according to the reports.
—Latoya Gayle, PEOPLE, 6 Oct. 2025
Traditional regulation is coercive but predictable.
—Liz Hoffman, semafor.com, 2 Oct. 2025
Because, for good reason, there is little centralized control over pedagogy, there are few swift or coercive ways for a college to intervene.
—Joshua Rothman, New Yorker, 30 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for coercive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercive
Adjective
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Besides the fragility of household budgets, these persistent financial pressures reveal the critical role that financial knowledge plays in helping individuals adapt, plan, and protect themselves against volatility.—
Jason Phillips,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
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LogoPowered byScale logo At least 114 people have died and 127 remain missing in central Philippines after a typhoon caused destruction and widespread flooding, which local officials suggest could have been prevented if not for persistent graft in flood-control projects.—
Chad de Guzman,
Time,
6 Nov. 2025
Adjective
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For the vast majority of learners, the most pressing questions are whether tuition is affordable, childcare is available, credits transfer without friction, and programs lead to real employment opportunities.—
Yolanda Watson Spiva,
Fortune,
8 Nov. 2025
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But like de Blasio did 12 years earlier, Mamdani identified the growing crisis of unaffordability as the city's most pressing problem and grabbed attention − especially from the young and online − by promising to address it.—
Eduardo Cuevas,
USA Today,
7 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Coercive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coercive. Accessed 17 Nov. 2025.
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