forceful

adjective

force·​ful ˈfȯrs-fəl How to pronounce forceful (audio)
: possessing or filled with force : effective
a forceful argument
forcefulness noun

Examples of forceful in a Sentence

He has a very forceful personality. She's a confident and forceful leader. They have made a forceful argument in favor of changing the system. The government has threatened to use more forceful measures if necessary.
Recent Examples on the Web Although no one expects Ms. Ngom to become the next president, her presence in the race speaks to the increasingly forceful role of women in the politics of Senegal, which has one of the highest percentages of female legislators in the world. Ayen Deng Bior, The Christian Science Monitor, 22 Mar. 2024 The vapor cloud explosion was so forceful that two lifeguards at the beach were blown off their chairs. Ella Nilsen, CNN, 20 Mar. 2024 Doing so has weakened the most forceful arguments for affirmative action, which in turn has weakened public support for such policies. Nikole Hannah-Jones, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2024 The most forceful voice in the group belonged to a Canadian who posted under the name Based Beff Jezos. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 11 Mar. 2024 Still, Schiff presented as the most forceful foil of Trump — who regularly called Schiff out at rallies and insulted him on social media. Benjamin Oreskes, Los Angeles Times, 7 Mar. 2024 Harris calls for an ‘immediate cease-fire’ in her most forceful comments on the conflict in Gaza. Patrick Kingsley, New York Times, 3 Mar. 2024 Israel-Gaza war At least four people were killed in Lebanon, and at least one in Israel, after an exchange of strikes that marked Israel’s most forceful attack on its neighbor since the start of the war in Gaza. Sarah Dadouch, Washington Post, 15 Feb. 2024 Then last week, a drone attack on a U.S. base in Jordan killed three American service members — prompting President Joe Biden to vow a forceful, multistage response, while simultaneously trying to avoid direct war with Iran. Alexander Smith, NBC News, 3 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'forceful.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1571, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of forceful was in 1571

Dictionary Entries Near forceful

Cite this Entry

“Forceful.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/forceful. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

forceful

adjective
force·​ful ˈfōrs-fəl How to pronounce forceful (audio)
ˈfȯrs-
: having or done with much force : vigorous
a forceful speech
forcefully adverb
forcefulness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on forceful

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!