as in obliged
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in forced
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compelled
Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Some even felt compelled to try the handshake themselves.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Pellizzari said when he was contacted by We Design Beirut, he was compelled by the notion that something beautiful could emerge and grow from destruction.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
And if you’re feeling compelled to listen to your own chants, white noises, meditations, etc.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
Could a superstar as big as Michael Jackson be compelled, almost against his will, to return to the recording studio for a do-over on one of his songs?
—Dan Beck, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
Rivera, who left Mexico at 18, is one of a growing number of people compelled to self-deport out of fear of arrest and detention.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Her creative journey began at eleven, playing drums in a hardcore band in Bogotá; attending the Berklee School of Music and experiencing Boston’s club scene compelled her to change tracks.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Both transgender and non-transgender students can be put in uncomfortable positions when someone is compelled to use a restroom that doesn’t match their outward gender presentation.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
Adjective
More military clashes occurred in 1503 and 1504, and these saw numerous chiefs captured, assigned to Spanish settlers, and compelled to labor in the construction of towns.
—Literary Hub, 23 Oct. 2025
Some even felt compelled to try the handshake themselves.
—Daniella Gray, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
Pellizzari said when he was contacted by We Design Beirut, he was compelled by the notion that something beautiful could emerge and grow from destruction.
—Sofia Celeste, Footwear News, 21 Oct. 2025
And if you’re feeling compelled to listen to your own chants, white noises, meditations, etc.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 21 Oct. 2025
Could a superstar as big as Michael Jackson be compelled, almost against his will, to return to the recording studio for a do-over on one of his songs?
—Dan Beck, Variety, 21 Oct. 2025
Rivera, who left Mexico at 18, is one of a growing number of people compelled to self-deport out of fear of arrest and detention.
—Laura Romero, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2025
Her creative journey began at eleven, playing drums in a hardcore band in Bogotá; attending the Berklee School of Music and experiencing Boston’s club scene compelled her to change tracks.
—Helen Shaw, New Yorker, 17 Oct. 2025
Both transgender and non-transgender students can be put in uncomfortable positions when someone is compelled to use a restroom that doesn’t match their outward gender presentation.
—Grace Tucker, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Verb
-
Follow what feels fun and freeing, not forced.—
Valerie Mesa,
PEOPLE,
28 Oct. 2025
-
In 2021, the state implemented several new and stricter penalties for hazing after 19-year-old Timothy Piazza, a New Jersey resident, died after being forced to drink copious amounts of alcohol while attending Penn State University.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Prosecutors retried one of the men, John Kogut – who had made a coerced confession to the murder – but he was acquitted.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
-
Winters writes that this initial system of coerced labor didn’t go very well for the elites.—
Livia Gershon,
JSTOR Daily,
7 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Amazon has previously told Sourcing Journal that, at this juncture, it has not been legally obliged to serve as a joint employer for the workers the Teamsters have brought issues over.—
Meghan Hall,
Sourcing Journal,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Democratic State Senator Ben Allen, who sponsored the bill, and California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara initially pushed for insurers to be obliged to pay out 100 percent of an owner’s personal property coverage limit, but the bill was amended after pushback from the industry.—
Giulia Carbonaro,
MSNBC Newsweek,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
After the Acting City Attorney Christopher Creech explained that the city manager and the city attorney are obligated to share their opinion about a potential violation of code, Barbadillo suggested that both the city manager and the city attorney should face a performance evaluation.—
Luis Melecio-Zambrano,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Amtrak, often regarded as an albatross around taxpayers’ necks, lost more—about $705 million—but serves more than 500 stops, including many that a private enterprise would never bother with and that a public one is obligated to serve.—
Kaitlyn Tiffany,
The Atlantic,
22 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Traffic stops represent the most common nonvoluntary interaction between citizens and police officers in the U.S.—
Derek Epp,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2023
-
Of the 59 CEOs who departed S&P 500 firms last year, 30.5% were let go on a nonvoluntary basis, up from 22.1% in 2017, according to the Conference Board's 2019 CEO Succession Practices report.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Compelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compelled. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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