pressure

I

(New American Roget's College Thesaurus)

n. strain, compulsion, stress; persuasion, coercion, persuasiveness; affliction, trouble; distress; heaviness, compression.

See adversity, gravity, importance, influence, power.

II

(Roget's IV) n.

1. [Physical pressure]

Syn. force, burden, mass, load, encumbrance, stress, thrust, tension, shear, squeeze*; see also strength 1 , weight 1 .

Ant. release*, relief, deliverance.

2. [Social pressure]

Syn. compulsion, constraint, urgency, demand, persuasion, stress, affliction, coercion, trouble, hardship, humiliation, misfortune, necessity, requirement, repression, confinement, unnaturalness, obligation, discipline; see also influence 2 , oppression 1 , restraint 2 , urging .

Ant. aid*, assistance, encouragement.

v.

Syn. press, compel, constrain; see urge 2 , 3 .

III

(Roget's 3 Superthesaurus)

I

n.

1. compression squeezing, tension, load, heaviness, weight, force, gravity.

2. strain stress, duress, demand, tension, burden, load, cross, millstone.

3. influence force, power, coercion, persuasion, pull, sway, compulsion, obligation, necessity, arm-twisting.

II

v.

compel, influence, force, push, persuade, coerce, press, drive, arm-twist, constrain, *lean on, *railroad, *put the screws to, *put the squeeze on.

IV

(Roget's Thesaurus II) I noun 1. The act, condition, or effect of exerting force on someone or something: strain1, stress, tension. See PUSH. 2. Power used to overcome resistance: coercion, compulsion, constraint, duress, force, strength, violence. See ATTACK. II verb 1. To cause (a person or thing) to act or move in spite of resistance: coerce, compel, constrain, force, make, obligate, oblige. See ATTACK. 2. To maintain normal air pressure in: pressurize. See PUSH.