compulsion

American  

[kuhm-puhl-shuhn] / kəmˈpʌl ʃən /

noun

• compulsions
  plural

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

Derived Forms

• noncompulsion
  noun
• precompulsion
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• compulsions
  plural

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

See Examples For:

compulsion compulsions

None of these people is real, but the irritations they represent – NIMBYism, narcissism and the compulsion to destroy others to build ourselves up – are quite familiar.

From Salon ● Jul. 17, 2026

But now, he is trying a 12-session course of private therapy to try to curb this compulsion, which he believes is driven by loneliness.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

Roberts has been working with Saar for 15 years and it’s because of Saar’s meticulous compulsion to keep and collect that she feels like there is still more to learn and share about the artist.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

For that reason, Iran’s officers may feel no compulsion to kowtow to Beijing.

From Slate ● May 7, 2026

I lean over, take the bag, and pick out a couple of pieces, hanging off the bed, a strange compulsion forcing me to stare at the screen.

From "Saints and Misfits" by S.K. Ali

“RachelOrmont” is cruel, clever and audacious to a fault, but when Rachel breaks free of her tech prison, Vack’s film transforms into a grim and deeply necessary indictment of our shared digital compulsions.

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2025

But his chronicle of that heist expands into a saga of psychological suspense spanning nearly two decades and following half a dozen characters whose lives are twisted into grotesque shapes by their addictive compulsions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

The category encompasses post-traumatic stress disorder and phobias or compulsions that result in “marked difficulties” with working or living in society.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2025

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

From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025

They were racked with guilt for being alive, racked with pain in their heads and fear of ghosts, racked with nightmares and strange compulsions, punishments for being alive when the others were dead.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

Related Words

• coercion
• obsession
• preoccupation
• urgency