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Blackmail vs Coerce - What's the difference?

blackmail | coerce |

In lang=en terms the difference between blackmail and coerce

is that blackmail is to extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud while coerce is to use force, threat, fraud, or intimidation in attempt to compel one to act against his will.

As verbs the difference between blackmail and coerce

is that blackmail is to extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud while coerce is to restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb.

As a noun blackmail

is (archaic) a certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of england and south of scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.

blackmail

Noun

(-)
  • (archaic) A certain rate of money, corn, cattle, or other thing, anciently paid, in the north of England and south of Scotland, to certain men who were allied to robbers, or moss troopers, to be by them protected from pillage.
  • Payment of money exacted by means of intimidation; also, extortion of money from a person by threats of public accusation, exposure, or censure.
  • to levy blackmail
  • :: to extort money by threats, as of injury to one's reputation
  • (English law) Black rent, or rent paid in corn, meat, or the lowest coin, as opposed to white rent, which paid in silver.
  • Derived terms

    * emotional blackmail

    Verb

    (en verb)
  • To extort money or favors from (a person) by exciting fears of injury other than bodily harm, such as injury to reputation, distress of mind, false accusation, etc.; as, to blackmail a merchant by threatening to expose an alleged fraud.
  • See also

    * extortion * protection racket ----

    coerce

    English

    Verb

    (coerc)
  • To restrain by force, especially by law or authority; to repress; to curb.
  • to use force, threat, fraud, or intimidation in attempt to compel one to act against his will.
  • (computing) to force an attribute, normally of a data type, to take on the attribute of another data type.
  • Synonyms

    * compel * bully * dragoon

    Derived terms

    * coercion * coercer * coercee * coercible