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duress

duress

34 7.9
Pressure by threats or force that makes someone act against their will
  • noun
  • /djuˈrɛs/
  • NSFW
: coacción
  • Courts have found consent to be invalid when subject to duress or coercion, Cook says.
  • accept under duress
  • responses to duress
  • symptoms of duress

The court found that yes, economic duress can void a contract.

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Examples

  • What did you learn about yourself under duress and stress?

  • Cattle had to be fed or sold, and either choice made under duress was a bad one.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • The fact that some companies are not under financial duress does not make the policy a success.

    Blog text (4)
  • The court found that yes, economic duress can void a contract.

  • Often, during extreme duress, people are capable... of extraordinary behavior.

  • Resiliency in the face of duress is emotional discipline.

  • Voters confronted with economic duress, social dislocation, and political division look to their elected representatives for help.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Lena had come under duress, Richard having threatened to leave if she didn't.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • He only signed the contract because he was under duress and felt he had no choice.

  • When the police realized that the confession was made under duress, they decided to reopen the case.

Synonyms

coercion
vsduress
  • Offensive
56 6.9

The act of making someone do something by using threats or violence

is the pressure someone experiences rather than the act of forcing

Antonyms

∞ 1.0

The right to act, speak, or think as you want without being stopped

consent
  • Formal
344 3.2

Permission for something to happen, often given in writing

How Coerced

violence
  • Offensive
∞ 2.8
to force
∞ 2.3
duress
  • NSFW
34 7.9
coercion
  • Offensive
56 6.9
pressure
∞ 3.1

Surface Forms

duress singular
duresses plural

Etymology

The word duress comes from the Latin durus 'hard'. Think of words like durable and endure — duress means a kind of 'hard' pressure or force that makes someone do something against their will.