conscripted

[ kuhn-skrip-tid ]

adjective

1. drafted for military or naval service:

   There was some discussion about which was better, an all-volunteer army or a conscripted army.

2. pressed or compelled into service:

   Finally, I wish to acknowledge the hurriedly conscripted actors who worked hard under time pressure to make the play a success.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of conscript.

Word History and Origins

Origin of conscripted¹

First recorded in 1800–10; conscript ( def ) + -ed ²( def ) for the adjective senses; conscript ( def ) + -ed ¹( def ) for the verb sense

Example Sentences

The last time Chaw Su saw her husband was in March, when he was forcibly conscripted to fight for the army in Myanmar's civil war.

From BBC

Residents said that at least two young men were abducted at gunpoint from their beds and conscripted into a drug cartel.

From Los Angeles Times

His suicide was conscripted to ends and meanings he could not predict or answer for.

From Salon

After being forcibly conscripted, he ran away from his barracks because he didn’t want to kill anyone.

From Seattle Times

But perhaps as important as what was included in the legislation is what was cut out — particularly a timeline for when conscripted soldiers will be demobilized.

From New York Times

Related Words

• compelled
• contrived
• enforced
• involuntary
• mandatory
• unwilling