extortionary

[ik-stawr-shuh-ner-ee]

adjective

1. characterized by or given to extortion.

Word History and Origins

Origin of extortionary¹

First recorded in 1795–1805; extortion + -ary

Example Sentences

But Musk’s vision of a paid product resembles payola—something utterly extortionary.

From Slate

After that debacle, Democrats said they’d learned their lesson and wouldn’t allow the debt ceiling to be used by the GOP for extortionary purposes.

From Slate

“These untrue allegations are a sad way to discredit our brand & business practices for sensational news and extortionary financial gain.”

From Los Angeles Times

Its operators have their eyes on Reza’s land, and they resort to extortionary tricks — including poisoning his goldfish — to get him to give it up.

From New York Times

The syndicates’ extortionary attacks have worsened in the past year.

From Washington Times

When To Use

What does extortionary mean?

Extortionary is an adjective used to describe things involving extortion—the act of using violence, threats, intimidation, or pressure from one’s authority to force someone to hand over money (or something else of value) or do something they don’t want to do.Extortion and the verb extort are commonly used in this literal sense, but they can also be used in a few more general or figurative ways. Extortion can refer to the practice of overcharging someone for something or to obtaining something through relentless and unreasonable demands. These senses liken such actions to the actual crime of extortion.Extortionary can be used to describe things that involve all of these senses of extortion. It can be used to describe practices that involve or resemble extortion or people or organizations that engage in extortion.The similar adjective extortionate is most often applied to people or organizations that use extortion. A person who engages in extortion can be called an extortionist or an extortioner.Example: These extortionary business practices seem like they were modeled on the mafia.