as in pressure
the use of power to impose one's will on another
in that class I read books under compulsion that I ordinarily wouldn't have considered
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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 compulsion
Christgau has 14,000 reviews and counting, and that’s his glory and his compulsion.
—
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2026
Auto manufacturers are catering to that compulsion.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
For Madison, religion could flourish only under conditions of freedom, not compulsion.
—Corey D. B. Walker, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
Run with a creative compulsion as Venus and Uranus harmonize!
—Usa Today, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsion
Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 29 Mar. 2026
Auto manufacturers are catering to that compulsion.
—Rachel Swan, San Francisco Chronicle, 17 Mar. 2026
For Madison, religion could flourish only under conditions of freedom, not compulsion.
—Corey D. B. Walker, The Conversation, 9 Mar. 2026
Run with a creative compulsion as Venus and Uranus harmonize!
—Usa Today, USA Today, 4 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsion
Noun
-
The test Wednesday was designed find out if helium was leaking into the oxygen lines of the isolated manifold, thus raising pressure as observed.—
William Harwood,
CBS News,
9 Apr. 2026
-
Bin Sulayem stepped down from his post as DP World’s chairman and chief executive in February this year, following immense pressure regarding his relationship with Epstein.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
8 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Jet fuel prices have doubled over the past month as crude supply problems have translated into supply constraints.—
David Goldman,
CNN Money,
7 Apr. 2026
-
That said, Springfield has hindered municipalities in important ways from addressing their budget constraints.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Unlike other crimes that use hacking or social engineering scams to access victims’ funds remotely, wrench attacks rely on more brutish methods of coercion like kidnapping and torture.—
Megan Cassidy,
San Francisco Chronicle,
3 Apr. 2026
-
The most violent and thuggish regime on earth would be free to carry out their campaigns of terror, coercion, conquest, and mass murder from behind a nuclear shield.—
James Powel,
USA Today,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Any group of employees that forms an internal clique with secret membership, intimidation, special treatment, or retaliation is incompatible with public service and will be eliminated from this department.—
Opinion Staff,
Daily News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Tycie Denise Parham, 48, and Gerald Keith Towns, 62, are both charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy to commit first-degree murder, witness intimidation and conspiracy to commit witness intimidation.—
Joseph Buczek,
CBS News,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The records also show Renfro is facing several other charges from previous cases, including assault causing bodily injury, assault causing bodily injury-family violence, evading arrest or detention, and continuous violence against the family.—
Doug Myers,
CBS News,
5 Apr. 2026
-
The siting of the rites at the Colosseum—where it has been held since 1964, echoing a practice from the eighteenth century—means that the Pope enacts Jesus’ final hours not in a Baroque basilica but against the backdrop of the Roman Empire, which exercised power through violence.—
Paul Elie,
New Yorker,
4 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsion. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
