COERCIVE Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

coercive

adjective

Definition of coercive next

as in persistent

formal using force or threats to make someone do something; using coercion coercive measures

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Example Sentences

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.

Recent Examples of coercive 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 Decolonization and the expansion of international legal norms further reduced the acceptability of coercive naval diplomacy. —

Encyclopedia Britannica, 25 Mar. 2026 See All Example Sentences for coercive

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coercive

Adjective

Five bookings meant he was suspended for a 0-0 draw at home to Sunderland in December, while a persistent knee issue ruled him out of a 1-0 home defeat by Arsenal in March.

— Andy Naylor, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2026
Despite persistent economic headwinds and ongoing global conflicts affecting trade and transportation, the mood among exhibitors and attendees at Kingpins Amsterdam last week was notably more optimistic than at the previous two editions.

— Angela Velasquez, Footwear News, 21 Apr. 2026