duress
noun
[ djʊ(ə)ˈrɛs ]
• threats, violence, constraints, or other action used to coerce someone into doing something against their will or better judgement.
• "confessions extracted under duress"
Similar:
coercion,
compulsion,
force,
pressure,
pressurization,
intimidation,
threats,
constraint,
enforcement,
exaction,
arm-twisting,
Origin:
Middle English (in the sense ‘harshness, severity, cruel treatment’): via Old French from Latin duritia, from durus ‘hard’.
