strong-arm tactics
Bullying into compliance
Strong-arm tactics are methods that rely on force, intimidation, or coercion rather than persuasion or negotiation.
The term evokes physical threat—twisting someone's arm—but usually describes aggressive pressure in business, politics, or personal dealings: The union accused management of using strong-arm tactics to discourage organizing.
The approach may be legal but is rarely admired.
- intimidationDeliberate fear-inducing pressure
- coercionPressured compliance through threats
- bullyingAggressive repeated intimidation
- threatsDeclarations of intended harm
- muscleContractile body tissue
hired muscle · thugs · extortion · protection racket · pressure · lean on · force · roughing up · shakedown · heavies · enforcers · menace · arm-twisting · leverage · squeeze · brutish · goons · brass knuckles
- manipulationgaslighting, guilt tripping, blame-shifting, brainwashing, guilt trip
- loan sharksloan shark, shylock, vig, vigorish, juice
- extortionextort, shakedown, shake down, blackmail letter, ransom
- power grabscoup d'etat, hostile takeover, military coup, overthrow, palace coup
- brute forcetrial and error, dictionary attack, credential stuffing, iteration, enumeration
strong-arm tacticsdiplomacy
Negotiation between nations
persuasion · negotiation · soft power · moral suasion · reasoned argument
strong-arm tacticssoft touch
Easily persuaded person
laissez-faire · mutual agreement · patience · permissiveness · indirect approach
strong, tactic, stronger, strongest, strongly, strength, strengthen, strengthening, arms