compulsion

American  

[kuhm-puhl-shuhn] / kəmˈpʌl ʃən /

noun

1. the act of compelling; 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.

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compulsion British  

/ 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

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compulsion Cultural  

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.”

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Other Word Forms

• noncompulsion noun
• precompulsion noun

Etymology

Origin of compulsion

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

Explanation

Let's say you have a secret. You've promised not to tell, but there's something forcing you to call a friend and spill the beans. This force is compulsion, that urge to do something even though you know you shouldn't. If you go back to the Latin, you find compulsus, the past participle of the verb compellere, "to compel." You can see the connection with our word compulsion, which means "something compelling." The word gained a more psychological meaning in 1909 in a translation of Freud’s studies, suggesting a type of neurosis that impels a person to do things in an obsessive manner.

Example Sentences

The desire, or compulsion, to document this moment seems to come from a shared understanding that the opening of “sister dreamer,” all of us here together, is a historic event.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 14, 2026

The result is a statistical rise in participation that masks a qualitative divide: opportunity at the top, compulsion at the bottom.

From BBC • Mar. 18, 2026

"Great powers can compel, but compulsion comes with costs, both reputational and financial," the former central banker added.

From Barron's • Mar. 5, 2026

“It’s a compulsion for me—I have to write music,” he told Rolling Stone.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 2026

Now the compulsion to activity, to filling up the time when he was not happily fishing on the riverbank, had dwindled.

From "Sula" by Toni Morrison

Related Words

• coercion
• obsession
• preoccupation
• urgency