compulsion

IPA/kəmˈpʌlʃn/
KK[kəmpˈʌlʃən]IPA/kəmˈpʌlʃn/

compulsion — noun

  • compulsionsingular
  • compulsionsplural

1. a strong, often repeated mental pressure to act in a particular way, even when y

1.名詞B2
釋義

a strong, often repeated mental pressure to act in a particular way, even when you realise the action does not make sense or may cause harm

例句

Adina felt a strange compulsion to check her email inbox every few minutes, even on holiday.

feel a compulsion + to-infinitive

Caleb could not explain his compulsion to sort books by colour, even though it calmed him down.

compulsion + to-infinitive with possessive

同義詞
  • urge

    a strong wish, less clinical than 'compulsion'; everyone has urges, but not everyone has compulsions

  • impulse

    a sudden, unplanned desire to act; 'compulsion' suggests a more persistent, difficult-to-ignore pressure

  • drive

    a strong inner push toward a goal; 'drive' feels more purposeful and less pathological than 'compulsion'

反義詞
  • choice

    the freedom to decide whether to act; opposite of the feeling of being forced from within

  • free will

    the ability to decide your own actions without internal or external pressure

文法句型

a compulsion + to-infinitive

feel / have / develop a compulsion

用法筆記

This sense is most commonly found in the pattern 'a compulsion to do something'. It is often used in discussions of obsessive-compulsive behaviour but also appears in everyday contexts (e.g. checking social media repeatedly). Unlike 'obsession', which is a persistent thought, a compulsion is the drive to act on that thought.

常見錯誤

❌I have compulsion to eat sweets.
✅I have a compulsion to eat sweets.
💡'compulsion' in this sense is usually countable and needs a determiner (a / the / his / her).
❌She felt compulsion to call him.
✅She felt a compulsion to call him.
💡same rule: include the article or possessive before 'compulsion'.

2. a situation in which authority, threats, or other outside forces make someone do

2.名詞B2
釋義

a situation in which authority, threats, or other outside forces make someone do something they would not freely choose to do

例句

Inês signed the contract under compulsion from her boss, who told her she would lose her job otherwise.

under compulsion from [person]

The students completed the extra assignments by compulsion, not because they wanted to learn more about the topic.

by compulsion (contrasted with choice)

同義詞
  • coercion

    the act of forcing someone by threats; more formal and often implies a specific threat of harm

  • pressure

    a broader, less forceful term; 'pressure' can be mild, whereas 'compulsion' suggests a stronger, harder-to-resist force

  • duress

    a legal term for threats or violence used to force someone; narrower and more technical than 'compulsion'

反義詞
  • choice

    the freedom to decide; the opposite of being forced from the outside

  • free will

    the ability to act according to one's own wishes, without external pressure

文法句型

under compulsion

by compulsion

under + noun + compulsion

用法筆記

Unlike Sense 1, this sense is uncountable and appears in fixed prepositional phrases: 'under compulsion', 'by compulsion', 'under X compulsion'. The noun before 'compulsion' is often an adjective describing the source of pressure (legal compulsion, social compulsion). This sense is formal and common in legal, political, and workplace contexts.

常見錯誤

❌He acted a compulsion from the government.
✅He acted under compulsion from the government.
💡the preposition 'under' is required, not 'a'.
❌She admitted the crime by compulsion.
✅She confessed under compulsion.
💡'confess under compulsion' is the natural collocation for legal situations.