duress
n. uncountablen. pressure or threats used to force someone to do something they do not want to do. It is often used when someone is made to sign a contract or admit to a crime against their will.
n. threats, violence, constraints, or other action used to coerce someone into performing an act against their will or better judgment. Frequently used in legal contexts to describe the invalidation of a contract or confession.
He signed the confession under duress.
The court ruled that the contract was invalid because the defendant had signed it under extreme duress from his employer.
Legal scholars argue that any testimony obtained under duress is fundamentally unreliable, as the individual prioritises immediate safety over the factual accuracy of their statements.
Borrowed into Middle English from Old French duresse, from Latin duritia (“hardness”), from durus (“hard”).
Almost exclusively used in the prepositional phrase 'under duress'.
He did it by duressHe did it under duressThe noun is conventionally paired with the preposition 'under' to describe the state of being coerced.