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
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
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
-
Managers are busy, organizations have budget constraints, and without your voice, the default is maintaining the status quo—which rarely benefits you.—
Kwame Christian Esq,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
-
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems and the National University of Singapore now report a method that changes those constraints.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
29 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
Takaichi’s popularity outpaces support for her party amid persistent economic pressures.—
Lim Hui Jie,
CNBC,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Policymakers emphasized the need to balance easing inflation pressures against still-solid economic growth and a stabilizing labor market.—
Sheryl Estrada,
Fortune,
29 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compulsions.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsions. Accessed 2 Feb. 2026.
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