compelling

adjective com·pel·ling \ kəm-ˈpe-liŋ \

|Updated on: 17 Aug 2018

Examples: compelling in a Sentence

Definition of compelling

: that compels: such as

a : forceful

a compelling personality

a compelling desire

b : demanding attention

for compelling reasons

The novel was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.

c : convincing

no compelling evidence

—

compellingly

adverb

See compelling defined for English-language learners

Examples of compelling in a Sentence

The novel was so compelling that I couldn't put it down.
He made a compelling argument.
I would need a very compelling reason to leave my job.
She had a compelling need to share what she had heard.

Recent Examples of compelling from the Web

The Waterford home is what made much of Season 1 so compelling, with its lush interiors and its Cold-War tension between June and Serena.

— sophie gilbert, The Atlantic, "A Maddening Season Finale for The Handmaid’s Tale," 11 July 2018
What made this story so visually compelling, then and now, is the fact that there are three of them.

— josephine livingstone, The New Republic, "Three Identical Men and a Mystery," 5 July 2018
The project has been long, exciting and troubled, as a succession of creative teams have struggled with how to build a musical around a title character who is visually mesmerizing and emotionally compelling, but can’t speak, sing or dance.

— michael paulson, New York Times, "Four Musicals on Three Continents: An Australian Company’s Big Bet," 5 July 2018
There's something a little creepy, a little forbidden, a little haunted, and totally compelling about seeing the remains of what used to be there.

— amy schwabe, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Your kids can pretend to be urban explorers on this Wisconsin hiking trail," 20 June 2018
This is because Camille’s home life is just as compelling, if not more so, than figuring out who is murdering little girls and subsequently ripping their teeth out.

— refinery29.com, "Sharp Objects Review: It’s Exactly What You Need During The Big Little Lies Drought," 5 July 2018
This quality is accentuated by the raw, moving performances director Rachel Slavick coaxes from her ensemble, led by Marie Tredway's subtle but compelling take on Honey Girl.

— jack helbig, Chicago Reader, "Not One Batu feels torn directly from life," 5 July 2018
One is to think, gosh, climate change is such a compelling and urgent problem that even oil companies and lobbyists have seen the error of their ways.

— david roberts, Vox, "Big oil and Bush-era lobbyists are teaming up to support a carbon tax," 22 June 2018
Jamey Bradbury knows how to deliver an original and compelling story that mixes genres and develops characters in ways that should appeal to a range of readers.

— nancy lord, Anchorage Daily News, "Anchorage novelist tells a gothic tale set among dog mushers in Interior Alaska," 16 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'compelling.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.