Using force or threats to make someone do something against their will; characterized by compulsion.
From Latin coercivus, derived from coercere (to restrain, confine, force) from co- (together) + arcere (to enclose, shut in). The word entered English through Old French and has been in use since the 15th century.
Coercive power is fascinating because it's one of the weakest forms of power—coercion requires constant force and surveillance, whereas voluntary cooperation is much more stable and efficient. This is why dictatorships eventually collapse while consensual societies endure.
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