I gave in to one of my compulsions and ordered the chocolate dessert. We should be able to get them to cooperate without using compulsion.
Recent Examples on the WebThese small experiments and joint projects were a reprieve from the notion that art must convey big social messages; in Indonesia, Darmawan said, earlier generations of artists felt cursed by that compulsion.New York Times, 9 June 2022 Carell stars as a therapist who's held captive by a serial killer played by Domhnall Gleeson, who wants help to be cured of his compulsion to murder. Brendan Morrow, The Week, 5 Aug. 2022 But the defining quality of Alex Jones was a willingness — more than that, a compulsion — to lend credibility to conspiratorial nonsense. Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 30 July 2022 Their interactions with one another are ruled most of all by their compulsion to assess and compare. Lynn Steger Strong, Los Angeles Times, 15 June 2022 The key is to use encouragement, consultation and support, rather than compulsion. Robert Sher, Forbes, 21 June 2022 But even these glitches evince Price’s compulsion to risk all manner of painterly tropes. Peter Schjeldahl, The New Yorker, 6 June 2022 That meant a social support system which could have played a part in helping keep an exercise compulsion in check likely disappeared or dissipated. Kate Willsky, SELF, 14 May 2022 The second season makes more use of Einbinder’s physical awkwardness and makes more sense of the repetition compulsion that forces Ava to stay with Deborah. Daniel Fienberg, The Hollywood Reporter, 10 May 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Middle English compulsion, compulsioun "coercion," borrowed from Anglo-French & Latin; Anglo-French compulsion, borrowed from Latin compulsiōn-, compulsiō, derivative, with the suffix of verbal action -tiōn-, -tiō, of compellere "to drive together, force to go, force (to a view, course of action)" (with -s- from past participle compulsus); (sense 2) translation of German Zwang — more at compel