compulsion
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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.
Abused, Confused, & Misused Words by Mary Embree Copyright © 2007, 2013 by Mary Embree
com·pul·sion
(kəm-pŭl′shən)n.
1.
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)n
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]
Random House Kernerman Webster's College Dictionary, © 2010 K Dictionaries Ltd. Copyright 2005, 1997, 1991 by Random House, Inc. All rights reserved.
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.
Dictionary of Unfamiliar Words by Diagram Group Copyright © 2008 by Diagram Visual Information Limited
ThesaurusAntonymsRelated WordsSynonymsLegend:
Switch to new thesaurus
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" 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" 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" 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 |
Based on WordNet 3.0, Farlex clipart collection. © 2003-2012 Princeton University, Farlex Inc.
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
nounThe American Heritage® Roget's Thesaurus. Copyright © 2013, 2014 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Translations
إكْراه، إجْبار، ضَغْط عَلى
nátlak
tvang
kényszer
nauîung, òvingun
būtinaiprivalomaspriverstinai
piespiešana
pritisk
compulsion
[kəmˈpʌlʃən] N1. (= urge) → compulsión f
2. (= force) under compulsion → a la fuerza, bajo coacción
you are under no compulsion → no tienes ninguna obligación
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
[kəmˈpʌlʃən] nCollins English/French Electronic Resource. © HarperCollins Publishers 2005
compulsion
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] na. → 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)
under compulsion → sotto costrizione, dietro or sotto pressione
he is under no compulsion (to do it) → nessuno lo costringe (a farlo)
b. → desiderio incontrollabile
Collins Italian Dictionary 1st Edition © HarperCollins Publishers 1995
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 adverbKernerman English Multilingual Dictionary © 2006-2013 K Dictionaries Ltd.
com·pul·sion
n. compulsión.
English-Spanish Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012
compulsion
n compulsión fEnglish-Spanish/Spanish-English Medical Dictionary Copyright © 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.