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compulsion

[kuhm-puhl-shuhn] / kəmˈpʌl ʃən /


Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

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I had scribbled a few questions in advance but felt no compulsion to stick to any script, preferring that our own character dynamics might determine the plot of our interview.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 9, 2026

Two of the most fascinating historical characters we meet in “Outcast” are drawn to minister to those with leprosy out of religious compulsion.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 4, 2026

There’s a not-so-subtle message in that genesis myth explaining the compulsion for men to dismiss a woman’s anger, however the Greeks might define it, even if you don’t interpret it as such.

From Salon ● Sep. 3, 2026

But now, he is trying a 12-session course of private therapy to try to curb this compulsion, which he believes is driven by loneliness.

From BBC ● Jun. 28, 2026

They are interesting, but not as fascinating as the central mystery, which is that we do it at all, and that we do it under such compulsion.

From "The Lives of a Cell" by Lewis Thomas

And when Maddie’s disorder tells her she needs to stay in control, she contorts all of this trendy pastel-colored, serif-typefaced wellness to her favor, using it to fuel her harmful compulsions.

From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026

“RachelOrmont” is cruel, clever and audacious to a fault, but when Rachel breaks free of her tech prison, Vack’s film transforms into a grim and deeply necessary indictment of our shared digital compulsions.

From Salon ● Dec. 5, 2025

As the title suggests, the series challenges viewers to see how we grapple with our demons and our worst compulsions.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 13, 2025

But his chronicle of that heist expands into a saga of psychological suspense spanning nearly two decades and following half a dozen characters whose lives are twisted into grotesque shapes by their addictive compulsions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 24, 2025

They were racked with guilt for being alive, racked with pain in their heads and fear of ghosts, racked with nightmares and strange compulsions, punishments for being alive when the others were dead.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart


Vocabulary lists containing compulsion

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