Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of noun compulsion

3 senses of compulsion

Sense 1
compulsion, irresistible impulse -- (an urge to do or say something that might be better left undone or unsaid; "he felt a compulsion to babble on about the accident")
       => irrational impulse -- (a strong spontaneous and irrational motivation; "his first impulse was to denounce them"; "the urge to find out got him into trouble")

Sense 2
compulsion, obsession -- (an irrational motive for performing trivial or repetitive actions, even against your will; "her compulsion to wash her hands repeatedly")
       => irrational motive -- (a motivation that is inconsistent with reason or logic)

Sense 3
compulsion, coercion -- (using force to cause something to occur; "though pressed into rugby under compulsion I began to enjoy the game"; "they didn't have to use coercion")
       => causing, causation -- (the act of causing something to happen)