Synonyms for

Compulsion

Verb / kʌˈmpʌlʃʌn / Another word for compulsion — explore alternatives below. For syllable breakdowns and pronunciation, see this word on Syllablesworld.

Definition

a very strong urge to do something

Synonyms & similar words

irresistibleimpulse coercion obsession urge drive need force pressure insistence demand coercion constraint obligation responsibility necessity requirement desire craving longing yearning itch impulse inclination

Example sentences

  1. She felt a compulsion to check her phone every five minutes.
  2. He had a compulsion to tidy up every room he entered.
  3. Her compulsion to buy new shoes was getting out of control.
  4. I couldn't resist the compulsion to dance when I heard the music.
  5. Bob had a compulsion to make sure everything was perfectly organized.

Quotes

  • I have a compulsion to smile pleasantly at all times. It's in my blood.
  • The most terrible thing about it is not that it breaks one's heart—hearts are made to be broken—but that it confuses one's heart. My heart never confuses itself, and is never wrong about what it wants. It knows that it wants you. It wants you as a miser wants money, as a drowning man wants air. And it will make the same kind of a bargain with you that the miser makes with his gold—it will give everything in exchange for what it wants. I offer you my soul's compulsion.
  • I've always had a compulsion to do everything to the best of my ability.

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