Copy word

Thai

ฝืน

Pronunciation

fʉ̌ʉn

ฝืน

fʉ̌ʉn

force oneself to do

A native Thai recording for this word is on the way. Please check back soon.

  1. 1 force oneself to do、do despite not wanting to、push oneself、do with effort despite discomfort
  2. 2 go against、disobey、violate、resist

ฝืน means doing something against what feels natural, comfortable, desired, or allowed. Depending on context, it can mean forcing oneself to do something or going against a rule, order, or natural condition.

1

force oneself to do、do despite not wanting to、push oneself、do with effort despite discomfort

Verb⭐️3 Common

This sense describes forcing oneself to do something despite discomfort, reluctance, tiredness, or physical limits.

Show more (2)
2

go against、disobey、violate、resist

Verb⭐️2 Not often used

This sense means to go against or violate a rule, order, requirement, or natural course of things.

Show more (1)

Learning notes

Explanation

The core idea of ฝืน is pushing against what is natural, comfortable, desired, or required. In everyday speech, อย่าฝืน is a common way to say “Don’t push yourself.” The pattern ฝืน + verb means “force oneself to do something,” as in ฝืนยิ้ม “force a smile” or ฝืนกิน “force oneself to eat.” With rules, orders, or nature, it means to go against or violate them.

Usage

It is common in everyday conversations about health, fatigue, reluctance, and emotional strain. It also appears in school, workplace, legal, or news contexts when talking about disobeying rules, orders, or regulations.

Caution

ฝืน is not just “try hard.” For positive effort, พยายาม is usually more natural. ฝืน implies strain, reluctance, or going against a limit, desire, rule, or natural state.

Differences from similar words

1 force oneself to do synonyms

2 go against synonyms

  • ขัด is a broader word meaning to oppose, conflict with, or obstruct. ฝืน more strongly suggests pushing against a rule, order, pressure, or natural tendency.

  • ฝ่าฝืน is commonly used for violating laws, rules, or orders, often in formal contexts. ฝืน is broader and also commonly means to force oneself or push beyond comfort.

Component words

Share or cite this page

You are welcome to link to this page from blogs, social media, articles, and other materials. Quotations are welcome, too.

Send feedback

Let us know about errors, anything that seems unclear, or suggested corrections.

Content production and review

Thai content last reviewed

The Thai meaning, naturalness, examples, and pronunciation in this entry have been reviewed by a native Thai editor. We always welcome reports of errors and suggested corrections through the link above.

See our editorial and English localization process