Link Centre Dictionary

compulsion

com·pul·sion

UK/kəmˈpʌlʃən/ US/kʰəɱˈpʰʌlʃən] ~ [kʰɱ̩ˈpʰʌlʃn̩/ uncommon

noun

1.
2.

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

Synonyms
3.

using force to cause something

  • “though pressed into rugby under compulsion I began to enjoy the game”
  • “they didn”
Synonyms

Origin

Borrowed from Middle French compulsion, from Late Latin compulsiō, from Latin compellere (“to compel, coerce”); see compel.

Phrases

  • compulsion loop

Related words

Word family

Broader terms

Narrower terms

WordNet 2.1 (Princeton University). Wiktionary (CC BY-SA). CMU Pronouncing Dictionary. WordNet 2.1 Copyright Princeton University. All rights reserved. Wiktionary content is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike Licence.