* Formal: The court issued a writ of mandamus compelling the government to release the documents.
* Informal: The judge used mandamus to force the city to clean up the contaminated site.
* Legal: A mandamus action can be used to compel a public official to perform their legal duty.
* Historical: The King's writ of mandamus was used to enforce the laws of the realm.
Mandamus is a legal term, so it's often used in formal contexts related to law or government. You can also use it in informal contexts to describe situations where someone is being forced to do something they don't want to do.