duress
[doo-res, dyoo-, doo r-is, dyoo r-]
- compulsion by threat or force; coercion; constraint.
- Law. such constraint or coercion as will render void a contract or other legal act entered or performed under its influence.
- forcible restraint, especially imprisonment.
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Origin of duress
1275–1325; Middle English duresse < Middle French duresse, -esce, -ece < Latin dūritia hardness, harshness, oppression, equivalent to dūr(us) hard + -itia -ice
Synonyms
See more synonyms for duress on Thesaurus.com1. intimidation, pressure, bullying, browbeating.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for duress
Contemporary Examples
In moments of duress, a different self manifests with acts of destruction: unleashed id in Freudian, or Incredible Hulk, terms.
Under “fear, threats, and duress,” Egan says he signed the form, “a false declaration denying any childhood sexual abuse” by Doe.
But the sense of duress surrounding the regime this time around seems especially pronounced.
Historical Examples
He was a mechanic, brought along under some duress to service the machine.
Pagan PassionsGordon Randall Garrett
He considered himself as, in fact, in duress, and his actions as not free.
William the ConquerorJacob Abbott
Was she in duress either from this Ironhook or from her father, or from both?
Hereward, The Last of the EnglishCharles Kingsley
The commission, extorted by force, is null and void when the duress is removed.
Hansford: A Tale of Bacon's RebellionSt. George Tucker
When the consent of either party was obtained by force, duress or fraud.
Marriage and Divorce Laws of the WorldHyacinthe Ringrose
duress
- compulsion by use of force or threat; constraint; coercion (often in the phrase under duress)
- law the illegal exercise of coercion
- confinement; imprisonment
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Word Origin
C14: from Old French duresse, from Latin dūritia hardness, from dūrus hard
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins
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Word Origin and History for duress
n.
early 14c., "harsh or severe treatment," from Old French duresse, from Latin duritia "hardness," from durus "hard" (see endure). The Old French suffix -esse is from Latin -itia, added to adjectives to form nouns of quality (cf. riches, largesse). Sense of "coercion, compulsion" is from 1590s.
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper