duress
/djʊ(ə)ˈrɛs
/ /ˈdjʊərɛs /noun [mass noun]
1Threats, violence, constraints, or other action used to coerce someone into doing something against their will or better judgement: confessions extracted under duress...
- The resignation of the President is not constitutional because he did that under duress and threat.
- Though the church consistently backed the state under communism, it clearly did so under duress and the threat of increased persecution.
- We all know the commitments were entered into under duress, with teachers threatening to effectively shut down the system and block exams.
Synonyms
coercion, compulsion, force, pressure, pressurization, intimidation, threats, constraint, enforcement, exaction
informal arm-twisting
1.1 Law Constraint illegally exercised to force someone to perform an act.At the end of the day, your Honours, the issue was whether or not a person who is not an employee can bring proceedings for the contravention of statutory duress....
- My wife was forced under extreme duress to sign consent orders which are not in the best interests of the children.
- Today there is much overlap with the common law principle of duress as this principle has subsequently been developed.
1.2 archaic Forcible restraint or imprisonment.At the very least, they have been held for months in solitary confinement - treatment that constitutes a form of psychological duress and is thus prohibited under the Geneva Conventions.
Origin
Middle English (in the sense 'harshness, severity, cruel treatment'): via Old French from Latin duritia, from durus 'hard'.