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Glite Dictionary
extortive

extortive

9.5
Using threats to get money or favors
  • adjective
  • /ɪkˈstɔːrtɪv/
translation icon : extorsivo
  • The politician resorted to extortive practices to secure donations for his campaign.

Examples

  • Perhaps not unintentionally, this policy also reduces the purchasing power of the average Chinese consumer, who exchanges RMB savings for FEC at exorbitant and extortive rates.

    Academic text (1990)

  • Who has the right to demand that extortive criminals be arrested, not submitted to?

    Blog text (19)

  • I listed plenty of very important evil, non-monetary crimes, and governments have a pretty good monopoly on those violent/extortive things in most parts of the world.

    Blog text (5)

  • The company's extortive tactics forced many small businesses to pay for protection.

  • He faced extortive demands from the gang, who threatened to harm his family.

Synonyms

coercive
vsextortive
  • Offensive
26 7.6

Using force or threats to make someone do something

aims to obtain specific goods or favours rather than compel any action
extortionary
vsextortive
8.8

Charging people very high and unfair amounts of money

is broader and applies to using threats or force to obtain various things

Antonyms

generous
79 1.2

Willing to forgive small mistakes and not be strict

How Coercive

extortive
9.5
coercive
  • Offensive
26 7.6
intimidating
93 5.3
threatening
65 3.6

Surface Forms

extortive positive

Morphology

extortive = extort (transparent) = extort + ive

The adjective is formed by adding the productive suffix '-ive' to the verb 'extort', yielding a meaning of 'relating to or involving extortion'.

Etymology

Extortive comes from old Latin parts ex- 'out' and torquere 'to twist', so it originally meant to 'twist out' something from someone, and you can see the same root in torture. That's why extortive describes using threats or force to get money or favors from someone.