Thesaurus.com
Dictionary.com
Definitions

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.

See Examples For:

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

None of these people is real, but the irritations they represent – NIMBYism, narcissism and the compulsion to destroy others to build ourselves up – are quite familiar.

From Salon Jul. 17, 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

For that reason, Iran’s officers may feel no compulsion to kowtow to Beijing.

From Slate May 7, 2026

I had the strangest compulsion to open his cage and let him out.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

Like Maddie, she can easily cloak compulsions under the blanket of modern body positivity.

From Salon Aug. 8, 2026

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

Sinead Quinn, from Londonderry, said binge eating compulsions had made her "a prisoner in her own home, afraid of food and afraid of herself".

From BBC Jun. 4, 2025

He indulges in his compulsions to escape from his own discomfort, and consistently blames his actions on his current love interest.

From Salon Apr. 25, 2025

Eventually, though, I realized these inclinations, these compulsions, were as much a part of the body as its eye color or its voice.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan




Vocabulary lists containing compulsion


Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Dictionary.com's Learning Companion

Go beyond just looking up words.
Remember them forever with VocabTrainer.

Start training