compulsion

noun

kəm-ˈpəl-shən How to pronounce compulsion (audio)
Definition of compulsionnext
as in pressure
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 compulsion Still, from early on, Brigitte understood the compulsion as evidence of her mother’s resolve. — Tara Anne Dalbow, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 Long before the serial killings, Puente publicly claimed to have adopted them — revealing her desperate need for attention and a compulsion to lie. — Graham Womack, Sacbee.com, 18 Sep. 2026 In fairness, the compulsion to go full-on Chicken Little is hard to resist. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026 But per the Black List, the story follows an antisocial man suffering from obsessive compulsions who is haunted by the death of his hoarder mother. — Matt Grobar, Deadline, 9 Sep. 2026 See All Example Sentences for compulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsion
  1. pressure
  2. constraint
  3. coercion
  4. intimidation
  5. violence
Noun
  • But economic pressure won't change Iran's negotiating positions, said Karimi, the former official.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Also, not much pressure from the Chiefs as Sam Darnold’s quick passes were often on target.
    — Blair Kerkhoff, Kansas City Star, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of pressure
Noun
  • This is increasingly important as water scarcity places pressure on communities and infrastructure, even in traditionally water-secure regions, leading to restrictions and, in some cases, constraints on power generation.
    — H.E. Dr Abdulla Saif Al Jarwan, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Tehran fears that surrendering its maritime leverage first would invite fresh demands; Washington worries that easing pressure would reward coercion without securing lasting constraints on Iran’s nuclear program.
    — Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of constraint
Noun
  • This interservice competition may increasingly normalize what constitutes acceptable coercion below the nuclear threshold and shape targeting priorities, as well as escalation management.
    — Dmitry Adamsky, Foreign Affairs, 21 Oct. 2026
  • Tehran fears that surrendering its maritime leverage first would invite fresh demands; Washington worries that easing pressure would reward coercion without securing lasting constraints on Iran’s nuclear program.
    — Ali Vaez, Time, 21 Oct. 2026
Definition of coercion
Noun
  • The request was the latest salvo in the messy war where Ghost is suing Wilson for defamation, and Wilson is pursuing counterclaims against the producers for alleged bullying, intimidation, and breach of contract.
    — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Galvanized by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, Israeli settlers in the West Bank have recently been waging a particularly severe campaign of violence, intimidation and displacement against Palestinian communities.
    — Liam Scott, Washington Post, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of intimidation
Noun
  • Garcia and other commissioners complained Miami-Dade was cashing in on a game that glorifies street violence and crime in Miami.
    — Douglas Hanks, Miami Herald, 20 Oct. 2026
  • More than 2,500 people had been taken into police custody by Monday evening, Justice Minister Gérald Darmanin said, after violence that included the burning of a historic town hall in Limoges, a city in central France.
    — Aidan Stretch, CBS News, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of violence

Browse Nearby Words

comps
compulsion
compulsions
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Compulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsion. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on compulsion

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about compulsion

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All