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as in influential
having power over the minds or behavior of others a forceful speaker whose words moved the audience to tears

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of forceful Pope Leo expresses concern Pope Leo, who typically refrains from speaking off the cuff, expressed unusually forceful concern about the consequences of Israel's strike in Qatar. Kim Hjelmgaard, USA Today, 9 Sep. 2025 Yet Antonia isn’t fragile; her forceful imagination bends the others to her will. Jillian Steinhauer, New Yorker, 5 Sep. 2025 Sometimes the claps are a bit louder and more forceful if the movie is particularly well-liked. Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2025 The drug reduces the forceful heart muscle contractions linked to the condition, Cytokinetics said. Bhanvi Satija, Reuters, 30 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for forceful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forceful
Adjective
  • The Greenhouse Gas Reporting Program has been active since 2010, compelling more than 8,000 facilities and suppliers in the United States to report their climate pollution every year, and uses the data to help shape rules to reduce the amount of pollution in the air.
    Ella Nilsen, CNN Money, 12 Sep. 2025
  • For a daily driver, the third-generation Leaf is rather compelling, especially the S+, although the lack of heated front seats in that model might be too much of a deal-breaker, considering how important seat heaters are to EV efficiency in winter.
    Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Now and in the future In the early days of the Bowman era, the Oilers appear to be more aggressive in looking for talent.
    Allan Mitchell, New York Times, 14 Sep. 2025
  • First, assume that classification will be litigated if the arrangement is aggressive or if the borrower is thinly capitalized.
    Virginia La Torre Jeker, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Washington counts Qatar as a strong Gulf ally.
    Jarrett Renshaw, USA Today, 13 Sep. 2025
  • The audio-streaming platform has amassed a sizable free cash flow due to its strong revenue growth, a figure that has been boosted by the company's swelling active user base in recent financial quarters.
    Liz Napolitano, CNBC, 12 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Psychologist Meg Jay, in her influential book The Defining Decade, warns against passivity but also reassures that change and momentum can be built at any age.
    Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 13 Sep. 2025
  • One influential boxing figure in the United States, who spoke to The Athletic on condition of anonymity to protect working relationships, said the Saudi purses have changed how fighters assess their bouts.
    Sarah Shephard, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Rather, the goal is to maximise investment returns – Mounsey-Heysham and his co-founders just happen to believe the best way to do that is to identify companies with convincing answers to large and seemingly intractable societal problems.
    David Prosser, Forbes.com, 17 Sep. 2025
  • The judges jumped in to suggest Kilaru’s analogies weren’t so convincing in the context of a football player like Pavia, who has a limited window to earn NIL money.
    Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Driven by her smooth and emphatic playing, Spinal Tap comes close to losing its special lumpy Tap groove, its farcical Deep Purple mega-thump, and begins to sound disconcertingly like a proper band.
    James Parker, The Atlantic, 12 Sep. 2025
  • This fall, the trend toward emphatic celebration of Black creative achievement continues as The Gantt will immerse visitors in a rich tapestry of artistic expression and cultural reflection through three exhibitions.
    Amy Carleton, Charlotte Observer, 11 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • Even your health feels vigorous.
    Georgia Nicols, Denver Post, 16 Sep. 2025
  • After a vigorous lobbying campaign, Congress adopted a half measure, disallowing sales taxes but retaining the deductibility of other subnational levies.
    Joseph Thorndike, Forbes.com, 15 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • These risks multiply when multiple agents collaborate, each trusting outputs from others as authoritative inputs.
    Steve Durbin, Forbes.com, 16 Sep. 2025
  • In June, more than 20 authoritative organizations, including the National Medical Association and American Academy of Pediatrics, expressed serious concerns for the health impacts of overhauling the advisory committee.
    Jordan Miller, The Conversation, 5 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Forceful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forceful. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.

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