COERCED Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

coerced 1 of 2

adjective

as in unwilling

not made or done willingly or by choice coerced participation that couldn't last

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

coerced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of coerce

as in forced

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure was coerced into signing the document

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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 coerced

Adjective

Human rights groups have accused Iranian authorities of denying defendants due process, relying on coerced confessions and carrying out executions after unfair trials. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 Such coerced displacement did not — and could not — extinguish rights guaranteed by a still-valid agreement. — Shaun Chapoose, Denver Post, 20 May 2026 Russia has targeted the children through coerced adoption and family separation, forcing them to speak the Russian language and take on its cultural identity and customs — what’s known as Russification. — Shahrzad Rasekh, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026 The third would allow survivors of coerced debt to formally challenge such obligations with a creditor, and the last would create a program to help survivors get home security to protect themselves from future harm. — Lauren Linder, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026 And despite widespread reporting about coerced conscription in Russia, Ukraine has engaged in the same practice, with some new recruits sent to the front without adequate training. — Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 Arcangela Tarabotti, a seventeenth-century Venetian nun who was put into a convent against her will, wrote a critique of coerced enclosure that begins by eviscerating the idea that men are by nature superior to women. — Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026 Deradicalization is equally vital—not as a coerced reeducation, but as part of a healing process that encompasses Israelis as well as Palestinians. — Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025 Prosecutors retried one of the men, John Kogut – who had made a coerced confession to the murder – but he was acquitted. — Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

Verb

During a retrial in 2019, one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their previous testimony implicating Bennett was coerced by a then-homicide detective. — Cbs Philadelphia, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026 Her confession to murdering her 2-year-old daughter was coerced, and the district attorney who prosecuted her case was later convicted of bribery, extortion and other crimes. — Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026 Terry Kay liked to tell the story of how he was coerced into writing his first novel by Pat Conroy, who told his literary agent Kay had written a brilliant manuscript. — Suzanne Van Atten, AJC.com, 18 Oct. 2026 Unlike an appeal, the post-conviction process allows a petitioner to introduce new information, such as new allegations or evidence that their attorney coerced or threatened them. — Sally Krutzig, Idaho Statesman, 14 Oct. 2026 Defense attorneys maintained that Tyler Williams was coerced by his older brother, who was believed to be the driving force behind the attacks. — Darrell Smith, Sacbee.com, 14 Oct. 2026 The Cornell case has garnered nationwide attention over Jane Doe’s disturbing allegations, which include that she was coerced with alcohol and drugs before being raped multiple times at the Chi Phi frat house. — Lexi Lonas Cochran, The Hill, 13 Oct. 2026 Doe alleges in her lawsuit that she was coerced into using drugs before the assault. — Rebecca Schneid, Time, 6 Oct. 2026 They were coerced into signing a non-disclosure agreement that prevented them from ever exposing the details of what happened, and at whose hands. — Gretchen Carlson, New York Daily News, 2 Oct. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coerced

Adjective

The National Federation of Federal Employees union said a survey of its members showed a large majority opposed the Agriculture Department reorganization plan and most were unwilling to relocate.

— ABC News, ABC News, 22 Oct. 2026
Middle America Republicans haven’t been entirely unwilling to stay off the celebrity train themselves.

— Steven Zeitchik, HollywoodReporter, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of unwilling

Verb

Earlier this fall, a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder case forced the judge to declare a mistrial.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave, the biggest of the group, has seen the spread on its credit default swaps soar past 11%, as investors are forced to pay up for insurance against default.

— Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of forced

Adjective

Much like her character Klara, Ortega chooses to have faith in humans and their spontaneous wonder.

— Andrea Flores, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
Celine’s Michael Rider leads a pack of creatives who seek spontaneous styling, embrace imperfection, and refuse to be bound by rules.

— Laird Borrelli-Persson, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of spontaneous

Verb

Doncic said there has always been something in him that compelled him to establish connections with fans.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
From the classic ‘Whodunit’ style to thrilling neonoirs, mystery novels have compelled readers to solve cases alongside detectives like Hercule Poirot.

— Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of compelled

Verb

Returning to the table, Walzer said that a legal scholar had recently used the jus ex bello doctrine in an op-ed to argue that the war had become so costly to Ukrainians that their government was now obliged to make concessions to stop the fighting.

— Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
That should come as no surprise; NASA is, after all, part of the executive branch, and the agency is obliged to abide by executive orders.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obliged

Verb

Those who do not currently drink tea should not feel obligated to start.

— Faye Chiu, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
Twisted Teens joked they were contractually obligated to write a grunge song after signing to Sub Pop, prompting Billiard to claim that modifying any Beatles chord progression to stay major instead of going minor gets the job done.

— Nina Corcoran, Pitchfork, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of obligated

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“Coerced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coerced. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of coerced

adjective

verb

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