\Co*er"cive\, a.
Serving or intended to coerce; having power to constrain. --
{Co*er"cive*ly}, adv. -- Co*er"cive*ness, n.

      Coercive power can only influence us to outward
      practice.                                --Bp.
                                               Warburton.

{Coercive} or {Coercitive force} (Magnetism), the power or
   force which in iron or steel produces a slowness or
   difficulty in imparting magnetism to it, and also
   interposes an obstacle to the return of a bar to its
   natural state when active magnetism has ceased. It plainly
   depends on the molecular constitution of the metal.
   --Nichol.

         The power of resisting magnetization or
         demagnization is sometimes called coercive force.
                                               --S. Thompson.