compulsion

[kuhm-puhl-shuhn]

noun

1. the act of compelling; compel; constraint; coercion.

2. the state or condition of being compelled.

3. Psychology.,  a strong, usually irresistible impulse to perform an act, especially one that is irrational or contrary to one's will.

compulsion

/ kəmˈpʌlʃən /

noun

1. the act of compelling or the state of being compelled

2. something that compels

3. psychiatry an inner drive that causes a person to perform actions, often of a trivial and repetitive nature, against his or her will See also obsession

compulsion

1. In psychology, an internal force that leads persons to act against their will. A “compulsive” act cannot be controlled: “Smith was a compulsive gambler.”

Other Word Forms

• noncompulsion noun
• precompulsion noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of compulsion¹

1375–1425; late Middle English (< Anglo-French ) < Late Latin compulsiōn- (stem of compulsiō ), equivalent to Latin compuls ( us ), past participle of compellere to compel ( com- com- + pul- variant stem + -sus past participle suffix) + -iōn- -ion

Word History and Origins

Origin of compulsion¹

C15: from Old French, from Latin compellere to _compel

Example Sentences

However, it said that if the security situation worsened or if there too few volunteers came forward, the government could decide to use compulsion with the approval of the German parliament, the Bundestag.

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The board also said it had no compulsion to defer to her notice and that the AGM was conducted "in full compliance with the law".

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In 2018, the Delhi High Court had said that they had found no evidence that CBI investigated the case unfairly or "under political compulsions".

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Granted, there’s the natural compulsion to find something positive in a project that should have been a slam dunk for Bell, an actor most people deeply enjoy.

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"It involved really distressing intrusive thoughts, repetitive thinking, and punishing compulsions - just to relieve the anxiety."

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Related Words

• coercion 
• obsession 
• preoccupation 
• urgency