Duress is a legal term meaning compelled pressure or threats that override someone’s free will, typically used to justify lawful or illegal actions taken under coercion. In everyday use, it can refer to any pressure or threat that forces a person to act against their will. The noun frequently appears in law, psychology, and discussions of coercive circumstances.
"The defendant claimed the confession was made under duress and should be inadmissible as evidence."
"Employees signed the contract under duress after the supervisor threatened disciplinary action."
"The law recognizes duress as a defense only when the threat is imminent and unlawful."
"He spoke calmly, insisting he acted under duress, not out of his own free will."
Duress comes from the Old French duresse, from Latin duritia ‘hardness, severity.’ The root dur- means hard or tough, captured in words like durable and endurance. In medieval legal texts, duressa described coercion or oppression used to compel action. By the 13th–16th centuries, English adopted duress to denote undue force or threats used to compel agreement or confession. In modern law, duress is a recognized defense or factor in evaluating voluntariness; the term has broadened in common usage to cover various forms of coercive pressure, not exclusively violent threats. The word’s transition from a strict legal concept to common parlance reflects a shift toward acknowledging pressures that bypass free will, including psychological or social coercion. First known use appears in medieval Europe, with appearances in Anglo-Norman and Latin-derived legal texts describing oppressive force used to compel a person to perform acts they would not otherwise perform. Today, duress is used in both legal discussions and everyday language to describe coercive circumstances impacting decision-making.
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💡 These words have similar meanings to "Duress" and can often be used interchangeably.
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Words that rhyme with "Duress"
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Practice with these rhyming pairs to improve your pronunciation consistency:
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Pronounce it as two syllables with stress on the first: /ˈduː.rɛs/ in US, and often /ˈdjuː.rəs/ in UK/AU. Start with a long /uː/ or /juː/ glide, then an /r/ immediately before the open-front vowel /ɛ/ (as in “dress”). The second syllable ends with a short /s/. Mouth: lips unrounded for the second syllable vowel, tip of tongue near the alveolar ridge for /r/ in many accents. You’ll want clear distinction between /ɛ/ and /ə/ in the second syllable depending on region.
Common errors: (1) Treating it as two syllables with /duː/ and /əs/, skipping the /r/ smoothness; (2) Misplacing the primary stress or making /duː/ too short; (3) Flapping or softening /r/ in non-rhotic accents leading to /duː.ɛs/ or /djuː.rəs/. Correction: keep /r/ as a rhotic linker before the /r/ in the second syllable, ensure the second vowel is /ɛ/ rather than a schwa, and maintain a crisp final /s/. Practice with minimal pairs focusing on /r/ and /ɛ/ timing.
US: /ˈduː.rɛs/ with rhotic /r/; UK/AU: /ˈdjuː.rəs/ or /ˈduː.rəs/, often non-rhotic in some dialects; vowel quality shifts: US favors /ɛ/ in the second syllable, UK/AUS may use a reduced /ə/ or /ɪ/ in some speakers. Accent variations also involve linking between syllables and the treatment of /r/ after vowels; in some UK varieties, /r/ may be very light or non-rhotic, affecting the perceived rhythm. Overall, the first syllable vowel can be longer in US/UK/AU and the second syllable vowel may be reduced in British and Australian speech.
Two key challenges: (1) The initial vowel cluster: US /ˈduː/ involves a long back vowel that can sound like a glide; careful lip rounding and jaw position help; (2) The second syllable’s vowel and consonant cluster: /rɛs/ vs /rəs/ can fluctuate with rhoticity and vowel reduction. The presence of /r/ before a tense vowel and the rapid transition between /uː/ or /juː/ and /r/ can create subtle mispronunciations. Practice with slow repetition, focusing on the exact vowel height of /ɛ/ and the /r/ articulation.
Unique query: Some speakers ask if there is a silent letter in 'duress.' There is no silent letter; the key is the pronounced /r/ and the clearly enunciated /ɛ/ in the second syllable and the /s/ ending. Emphasize the two-syllable rhythm with primary stress on the first syllable. This clarifies the word’s phonotactics and prevents an over-accented final /ɪ/ or /ə/ in casual speech.
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