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
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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
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Autoliv and Tensor say their co-developed system is intended to remove those constraints without compromising safety.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
8 Jan. 2026
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The Fed also has an emergency lending authority with almost zero practical constraints.—
Rogé Karma,
The Atlantic,
7 Jan. 2026
Noun
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In cities, where environmental pressures usually overlap and blur together, that kind of on-off switch is almost never available.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
11 Jan. 2026
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Data released Friday shows the construction of new apartments has dropped off in the last year, spelling potential trouble for renters as the number of available properties stagnates and macroeconomic pressures keep more people in the rental market.—
Hannah Parker,
NBC news,
11 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compulsions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsions. Accessed 13 Jan. 2026.
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