COERCED Synonyms: 82 Similar and Opposite Words

coerced 1 of 2

adjective

as in unwilling

not made or done willingly or by choice coerced participation that couldn't last

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

coerced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of coerce

as in forced

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure was coerced into signing the document

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of coerced

Adjective

Human rights groups have accused Iranian authorities of denying defendants due process, relying on coerced confessions and carrying out executions after unfair trials. — Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 29 July 2026 Such coerced displacement did not — and could not — extinguish rights guaranteed by a still-valid agreement. — Shaun Chapoose, Denver Post, 20 May 2026 Russia has targeted the children through coerced adoption and family separation, forcing them to speak the Russian language and take on its cultural identity and customs — what’s known as Russification. — Shahrzad Rasekh, Hartford Courant, 3 May 2026 The third would allow survivors of coerced debt to formally challenge such obligations with a creditor, and the last would create a program to help survivors get home security to protect themselves from future harm. — Lauren Linder, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026 And despite widespread reporting about coerced conscription in Russia, Ukraine has engaged in the same practice, with some new recruits sent to the front without adequate training. — Olivier Kempf, Harpers Magazine, 24 Mar. 2026 Arcangela Tarabotti, a seventeenth-century Venetian nun who was put into a convent against her will, wrote a critique of coerced enclosure that begins by eviscerating the idea that men are by nature superior to women. — Chandler Fritz, The New York Review of Books, 21 Mar. 2026 Deradicalization is equally vital—not as a coerced reeducation, but as part of a healing process that encompasses Israelis as well as Palestinians. — Samer Sinijlawi, The Atlantic, 13 Nov. 2025 Prosecutors retried one of the men, John Kogut – who had made a coerced confession to the murder – but he was acquitted. — Lauren Del Valle, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2025

Verb

Attorney Jesse Dreicer suggested Tenon made false statements and his confession to the shooting was coerced. — Danya Gainor, CNN Money, 17 Aug. 2026 Shuter also pointed out that Pitt was clearly not coerced into talking about his drinking by a pushy magazine writer. — Martha Ross, Mercury News, 13 Aug. 2026 Jawad Boulos, who was Sarsour's lawyer when he was charged in Israel decades ago, testified that Sarsour was tortured in Israeli custody and coerced into making confessions. — CBS News, 5 Aug. 2026 Ripley, Tinkler Mendez added, didn’t appear to be coerced and remained cooperative hours into questioning. — Grethel Aguila, Miami Herald, 5 Aug. 2026 Kohberger, who was sentenced to four consecutive life sentences plus 10 years, claims in a handwritten affidavit that he was coerced into a false confession and misled by his original defense team. — Chadd Cripe. Produced With Ai Assistance, Idaho Statesman, 4 Aug. 2026 Advocates who filed the lawsuit are concerned that people with disabilities will be steered toward or coerced into using this option. — Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Aug. 2026 Majorities of Americans are worried about election officials being coerced, lax ballot security, and voter intimidation leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, according to new polling from Gallup. — Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 30 July 2026 Now, Kohberger says he was coerced into a confession, reopening a wound from which Alivea and the rest of the victims’ families had tried to heal. — Savannah Walsh, Vanity Fair, 30 July 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for coerced

Adjective

Barcelona believe the Argentina striker wants to join, but Atletico are unwilling to sell for anything close to the €100m or so that the Camp Nou outfit are currently able to offer.

— Dermot Corrigan, New York Times, 14 Aug. 2026
Instead, in their wake, the league veered far in the other direction, taking the finesse out of the game and turning on-court play into a street fight, with officials unable or unwilling to get their arms round the physicality.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of unwilling

Verb

Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, was forced to roll out a second artificial surface after the World Cup because its first attempt didn’t pass an independent lab test as required by the NFL and NFLPA.

— Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The champion faced a challenging opponent, as Garry forced him to work hard for seven takedowns and inflicted some facial damage.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of forced

Adjective

How spontaneous is the crew in choosing to, say, send you off on a commuter train in Mumbai?

— Lale Arikoglu, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Aug. 2026
The team also showed that the spontaneous mode could act as a magnonic parametric amplifier, producing gains of up to 40 decibels.

— Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of spontaneous

Verb

This compelled the company to use a Chinese AI model to defend against the onslaught.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Ultimately, if the state steps in with loans, the district would be compelled to cede day-to-day management to an outside caretaker, reducing the district’s board and administration to bystanders.

— Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of compelled

Adjective

Some lawsuits have been filed by families of children and young adults who died by suicide after problematic use of social media, and families whose kids died from accidental overdoses from drug purchases facilitated by social platforms.

— ABC News, ABC News, 17 Aug. 2026
Now the accidental entrepreneur, Elizabeth Stein, is making the biggest sale of her life.

— Chloe Sorvino, Forbes.com, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of accidental

Verb

Third-base umpire Todd Tichenor obliged, and the game froze for a moment as the fresh rosin was brought in.

— Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
If coughed up, the bond would help cover large swaths of the $7 million-a-day ticking fee Paramount Skydance is obliged to pay to WBD shareholders starting in a few weeks, plus other costs baked into the ParaBros agreement.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of obliged

Verb

Officials responded by stating that homeowners can use a city website to prove the property is a primary residence, and that letters were sent to taxpayers who may be obligated to pay the pied-à-terre.

— Amethyst Martinez, USA Today, 11 Aug. 2026
When another ship is in distress, everyone in the area is obligated to respond as long as doing so doesn't put their own ship at risk.

— ABC News, ABC News, 10 Aug. 2026

Definition of obligated

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“Coerced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/coerced. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of coerced

adjective

verb

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