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
Within a week, the compulsions disappeared.
—
J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
James, not unlike his alcoholic father, is at the mercy of his compulsions.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
These compulsions come from the same place as the impulse to punish Renee Nicole Good for protesting, for not bending to patriarchal authority.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
These obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
These obsessions and compulsions can vary from person to person.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 15 Dec. 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
J. Aaron Sanders, STAT, 4 Feb. 2026
James, not unlike his alcoholic father, is at the mercy of his compulsions.
—Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 28 Jan. 2026
These compulsions come from the same place as the impulse to punish Renee Nicole Good for protesting, for not bending to patriarchal authority.
—Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 16 Jan. 2026
These obsessions and compulsions interfere with daily activities and cause significant distress.
—Catherine Santino, PEOPLE, 12 Jan. 2026
These obsessions and compulsions can vary from person to person.
—Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 15 Dec. 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
-
Freeman acknowledged several limitations of the study, including the fact that researchers did not track changes in diet or olive oil consumption over time, noting that these constraints were also identified by the authors.—
Lily Hautau,
CNN Money,
4 Feb. 2026
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While investors fret about demand constraints, earnings commentary from major tech firms continues to point to supply constraints.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
4 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
With similar pressures and temperatures to those found at Earth’s surface, Venus, up above its cloud-tops, might already be home to simple but hardy microbial life forms.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Shares of Arm, which went public in 2023, have also faced broader tech market pressures in the lead-up to earnings and are down 4% year-to-date.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compulsions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsions. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.
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