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
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Recent Examples of compulsion
In contrast, researchers suggest that obsessive passion occurs when an individual becomes driven to the point of compulsion, relying solely on their passion to fulfill their emotional and psychological needs.
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Mark Travers, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Scrabble is Phillips’s obsession, a not-necessarily-healthy replacement for alcohol addiction, a compulsion that holds a hint of shame.
—Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
His mother was both more modern and more mannered, with a sense of social justice and a compulsion to lay out china for Christmas dinner.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
These obsessions lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compulsion 
Mark Travers, Forbes, 20 Dec. 2024
Scrabble is Phillips’s obsession, a not-necessarily-healthy replacement for alcohol addiction, a compulsion that holds a hint of shame.
—Longreads, 19 Dec. 2024
His mother was both more modern and more mannered, with a sense of social justice and a compulsion to lay out china for Christmas dinner.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 2 Sep. 2024
These obsessions lead you to do repetitive behaviors, also called compulsions.
—Cara Lynn Shultz, People.com, 6 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for compulsion
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compulsion
Noun
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The deal follows activist pressure from Jana Partners, which had built a position in Frontier and been advocating for a sale.John Hyatt, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
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More upgrades will be needed on that side of the ball to relieve some pressure from a young quarterback.Dan Duggan, The Athletic, 27 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The beloved classic was born from a constraint: using only 50 words.Julian Hayes II, Forbes, 28 Dec. 2024
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There are legal constraints as to what the FCC can and can’t do but also a question of just how much big media will benefit from a more lenient deal climate and the deregulation expected from the incoming administration.Jill Goldsmith, Deadline, 26 Dec. 2024
Noun
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That involves an intent to intimidate or coerce a civilian population; influence the policy of a unit of government by intimidation or coercion; or affect the conduct of a unit of government by murder, assassination, or kidnapping.Jeanine Santucci, USA TODAY, 20 Dec. 2024
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In Season 2, a young couple witnesses an alarming fight between their boss and his wife, triggering chess moves of favors and coercion in the elitist world of a country club and its Korean billionaire owner.Denise Petski, Deadline, 19 Dec. 2024
Noun
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The study on domestic violence and sports betting found that after losses in certain sporting events, there is a 10% increase in intimate partner violence in states that legalized sports betting compared to those that have not.Mary Murphy, Twin Cities, 27 Dec. 2024
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Rushdie went into hiding as several people associated with the publication were targeted with violence, with a Japanese translator murdered and 37 dying in an arson attack in Turkey.Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 27 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near compulsion
Cite this Entry
“Compulsion.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compulsion. Accessed 5 Jan. 2025.
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