What is the meaning of compulsion?

noun

  • An urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid.
    • usage: "he felt a compulsion to babble on about the accident"
  • An irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will.
    • usage: "her compulsion to wash her hands repeatedly"
  • Using force to cause something to occur.
    • usage: "though pressed into rugby under compulsion I began to enjoy the game"; "they didn't have to use coercion"
WordNet 3.0 © 2006 by Princeton University
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APAWordNet. (2010). compulsion. Retrieved September 20, 2026, from http://smartdefine.org/compulsion/definitions/1189261
ChicagoWordNet. 2010. "compulsion" http://smartdefine.org/compulsion/definitions/1189261 (accessed September 20, 2026).
HarvardWordNet 2010, compulsion, Smart Define, viewed 20 September, 2026, <http://smartdefine.org/compulsion/definitions/1189261>.
MLAWordNet. "compulsion" 23 October 2010. Web. 20 September 2026. <http://smartdefine.org/compulsion/definitions/1189261>
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