Synonyms for compulsion
kəmˈpʌl ʃəncom·pul·sion

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:4.0 / 4 votes

1. compulsion

   Necessity is the quality of being necessary, or the quality of that which can not but be, become, or be true, or be accepted as true. Need and want always imply a lack; necessity may be used in this sense, but in the higher philosophical sense necessity simply denotes the exclusion of any alternative either in thought or fact; righteousness is a necessity (not a need) of the divine nature. Need suggests the possibility of supplying the deficiency which want expresses; to speak of a person's want of decision merely points out a weakness in his character; to say that he has need of decision implies that he can exercise or attain it. As applied to a deficiency, necessity is more imperative than need; a weary person is in need of rest; when rest becomes a necessity he has no choice but to stop work. An essential is something, as a quality, or element, that belongs to the essence of something else so as to be inseparable from it in its normal condition, or in any complete idea or statement of it. Compare NECESSARY; PREDESTINATION.

   Synonyms:
   destiny, emergency, essential, exigency, extremity, fatality, fate, indispensability, indispensableness, necessity, need, requirement, requisite, sine qua non, unavoidableness, urgency, want

   Antonyms:
   choice, contingency, doubt, doubt, doubtfulness, dubiousness, fortuity, freedom, option, possibility, uncertainty

   Preposition:
   The necessity of surrender; a necessity for action; this is a necessity to me.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. compulsionnoun

   Synonyms:
   for, ce, restraint, control, coercion

   Antonyms:
   persuasion, coaxing, alluring, inducing

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:4.8 / 5 votes

1. compulsion, irresistible impulsenoun

   an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid

   "he felt a compulsion to babble on about the accident"

   Synonyms:
   irresistible impulse, coercion, obsession

2. compulsion, obsessionnoun

   an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will

   "her compulsion to wash her hands repeatedly"

   Synonyms:
   irresistible impulse, fixation, coercion, obsession

3. compulsion, coercionnoun

   using force to cause something to occur

   "though pressed into rugby under compulsion I began to enjoy the game"; "they didn't have to use coercion"

   Synonyms:
   irresistible impulse, coercion, obsession

Matched Categories

1. • Causing
   • Irrational Motive

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:3.0 / 2 votes

1. compulsionnoun

   Synonyms:
   coercion, constraint, application of force

Synonyms, Antonyms & Associated WordsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. compulsionnoun

   Synonyms:
   constraint, coercion, obligation, coaction

   Antonyms:
   discretion, spontaneity, volition, election, free-will

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:5.0 / 2 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "compulsion":

   coercion, duress, coercive, constraint, coercing

Suggested Resources

1. compulsion

   Song lyrics by compulsion -- Explore a large variety of song lyrics performed by compulsion on the Lyrics.com website.

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How to use compulsion in a sentence?

1. Julie Burchill:

   Writing is more than anything a compulsion, like some people wash their hands thirty times a day for fear of awful consequences if they do not. It pays a whole lot better than this type of compulsion, but it is no more heroic.

2. Plato, The Republic:

   Bodily exercise, when compulsory, does no harm to the body; but knowledge which is acquired under compulsion obtains no hold on the mind.

3. Adam Schiff:

   Senior White House officials will move as expeditiously as possible, but Senior White House officials have to see what witnesses are going to make themselves available and what witnesses are going to require compulsion.

4. Ramana Pemmaraju:

   The compulsion to remain beautiful forever has made women more uglier than ever. Remember its not about imbibing other cultures but accepting one's own nature is what makes one more graceful! Relish in your uniqueness!

5. Niccolò Machiavelli:

   A wise man will see to it that his acts always seem voluntary and not done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity.