compulsion

an irresistible impulse; coercion: She couldn’t fight her compulsion to buy things she didn’t need.

Not to be confused with:

compunction – regret; contrition; remorse: She felt no compunction about taking what didn’t belong to her.

com·pul·sion

(kəm-pŭl′shən)

a. The act of compelling.

b. The state of being compelled.

2. An irresistible impulse to act, regardless of the rationality of the motivation: "He felt an animal compulsion to flee the hotel and the city" (Paul Theroux).

3. Psychiatry An act or ritual that a person feels compelled to perform repeatedly, often to reduce the distress caused by an obsession.

[Middle English, from Old French, from Late Latin compulsiō, compulsiōn-, from Latin compulsus, past participle of compellere, to compel; see compel.]

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

compulsion

(kəmˈpʌlʃən)

1. the act of compelling or the state of being compelled

2. something that compels

3. (Psychiatry) 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

[C15: from Old French, from Latin compellere to compel]

Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged, 12th Edition 2014 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1994, 1998, 2000, 2003, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2014

com•pul•sion

(kəmˈpʌl ʃən)

n.

1. the act of compelling; constraint; coercion.

2. the state or condition of being compelled.

3. a strong, usu. irresistible impulse to perform an act, esp. one that is irrational or contrary to one's will.

[1375–1425; late Middle English (< Anglo-French) < Late Latin compulsiō, derivative (with -tiō -tion) of Latin compellere; see compel]

compulsion

An irresistible urge, often a neurotic reaction, taking such forms as having to wash one’s hands every few minutes or touching certain objects before leaving a room.

ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:

Noun	1.	compulsion - 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" irresistible impulse irrational impulse - a strong spontaneous and irrational motivation; "his first impulse was to denounce them"; "the urge to find out got him into trouble"
	2.	compulsion - an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will; "her compulsion to wash her hands repeatedly" obsession irrational motive - a motivation that is inconsistent with reason or logic onomatomania - obsession with a particular word which the person uses repeatedly or which intrudes into consciousness
	3.	compulsion - 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" coercion causation, causing - the act of causing something to happen constructive eviction, eviction - action by a landlord that compels a tenant to leave the premises (as by rendering the premises unfit for occupancy); no physical expulsion or legal process is involved

compulsion

noun

1. urge, need, obsession, necessity, preoccupation, drive He felt a compulsion to talk about his ex-wife all the time.

2. force, pressure, obligation, constraint, urgency, coercion, duress, demand Students learn more when they are in classes out of choice rather than compulsion.

Collins Thesaurus of the English Language – Complete and Unabridged 2nd Edition. 2002 © HarperCollins Publishers 1995, 2002

compulsion

noun

Power used to overcome resistance:

coercion, constraint, duress, force, pressure, strength, violence.

Translations

إكْراه، إجْبار، ضَغْط عَلى

nátlak

tvang

Zwang

compulsion contrainte

kényszer

nauîung, òvingun

compulsivo costrizione obbligatorio

būtinaiprivalomaspriverstinai

piespiešana

pritisk

baskı zorlama

强迫

compulsion

[kəmˈpʌlʃən] N

1. (= urge) → compulsión f

2. (= force) under compulsion → a la fuerza, bajo coacción
you are under no compulsion → no tienes ninguna obligación

Collins Spanish Dictionary - Complete and Unabridged 8th Edition 2005 © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1971, 1988 © HarperCollins Publishers 1992, 1993, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2003, 2005

compulsion

[kəmˈpʌlʃ^ən] n

(= force) → contrainte f, force f
under compulsion → sous la contrainte

(= strong desire) → besoin m
to feel a compulsion to do sth → avoir la manie de faire qch

compulsion

n → Zwang m, → Druck m; (Psych) → innerer Zwang; under compulsion → unter Druck or Zwang; you are under no compulsion → Sie sind nicht gezwungen, niemand zwingt Sie

Collins German Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged 7th Edition 2005. © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1980 © HarperCollins Publishers 1991, 1997, 1999, 2004, 2005, 2007

compulsion

[kəmˈpʌlʃ/ən] n

a. → costrizione f, pressione f
under compulsion → sotto costrizione, dietro or sotto pressione
he is under no compulsion (to do it) → nessuno lo costringe (a farlo)

b. → desiderio incontrollabile

compulsion

(kəmˈpalʃən) noun

compelling or being compelled. You are under no compulsion to go.

comˈpulsory adjective

which must be done or carried out. Is it compulsory for me to attend the class?; a compulsory examination.

comˈpulsorily adverb

com·pul·sion

n. compulsión.

compulsion

n compulsión f