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
Launching a military operation and then assuming responsibility for governance shifts Washington toward a closed, coercive model of power – one that relies on force to establish authority and is prohibitively costly to sustain over time.
—
Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
In 2025 and 2026, reports of violent crackdowns including state killings, mass detentions, and intimidation have already emerged, signaling that repression remains the regime’s primary coercive tool.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
When someone misses deadlines or violates the rules, influential people address it calmly and directly by using coercive power.
—Melody Wilding, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
On social media, women have also reported receiving phone calls from community workers asking about their plans to have children – raising concern policies could take a coercive turn.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coercive
Monica Duffy Toft, The Conversation, 5 Jan. 2026
In 2025 and 2026, reports of violent crackdowns including state killings, mass detentions, and intimidation have already emerged, signaling that repression remains the regime’s primary coercive tool.
—Washington Post, 5 Jan. 2026
When someone misses deadlines or violates the rules, influential people address it calmly and directly by using coercive power.
—Melody Wilding, CNBC, 4 Jan. 2026
On social media, women have also reported receiving phone calls from community workers asking about their plans to have children – raising concern policies could take a coercive turn.
—Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 1 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for coercive
Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercive
Adjective
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But the discharges also can overwhelm the delicate estuaries east and west of the state’s largest lake and, during the warm summer months, spread blooms of toxic algae, an issue that has become more persistent in recent years.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
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In Bug, Carrie Coon's Agnes White — an Oklahoma waitress too exhausted to outrun her past — faces a more persistent threat.—
Shania Russell,
Entertainment Weekly,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That debate, however, left coaches furious that the most pressing issue in the sport – its calendar – was not discussed in the one time a year the coaches gather in the same room.—
The Athletic College Football Staff,
New York Times,
15 Jan. 2026
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Most are anxious about physical conflict in the short term, ranking ‘geoeconomic confrontation’ as the most pressing global risk over the next two years.—
Diane Brady,
Fortune,
14 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Coercive.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coercive. Accessed 16 Jan. 2026.
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