as in constraints
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 compulsions
Castro’s talent lies in meticulously creating a realistic—and entertaining—portrait of one man’s compulsions, bringing individual texture to a curious social phenomenon.
—
Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Political compulsions could lead to measures that expand the country's fiscal deficit, further raising borrowing costs.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
The fact is, many of us will have sudden urges and compulsions today.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2025
Jeremy Gordon, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
Political compulsions could lead to measures that expand the country's fiscal deficit, further raising borrowing costs.
—Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2025
The fact is, many of us will have sudden urges and compulsions today.
—Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 12 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsions
Noun
-
According to the report, many developers face obstacles such as rising construction costs, financing constraints, labor shortages, and regulatory complexity.—
Lee Ying Shan,
CNBC,
1 Oct. 2025
-
Forcing athletes to find new affordances within various constraints makes perception-action coupling more efficient.—
Jared Weiss,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
-
These new pressures add to existing ones, such as building state-of-the-art facilities and hiring expensive coaches in hopes of landing recruits.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
4 Oct. 2025
-
The budget pressures departments to have state employees return to their offices instead of working at home as many have done since the 2020 pandemic.—
Paul Egan,
Freep.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Compulsions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsions. Accessed 6 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share