BLACKMAILED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

blackmailed

verb

past tense of blackmail

as in threatened

to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

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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 blackmailed Some students discovered the account and blackmailed Nichols into giving them better grades, the warrant states. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 Before work, Geri heads off to question Joyce Tercek, the Yale admissions lady that Dennis blackmailed in the elevator a few episodes ago. — Erin Qualey, Vulture, 1 July 2026 However, the politics are complicated as Long Feng (Chin Han) tries to keep the Earth King from knowing about the war and is eventually blackmailed into corruption by the Fire Nation princess, Azula (Elizabeth Yu). — Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 26 June 2026 He was never blackmailed by Epstein. — Graham Kates, CBS News, 26 June 2026 Groff said Epstein told her again after the 2008 plea deal that he was blackmailed. — Lauren Peller, ABC News, 9 June 2026 In 2013, Southern Stars players were blackmailed into obeying instructions by having their salaries withheld. — Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 4 June 2026 This comes on the heels of reports of thousands of iPhone thefts in London, with their owners being blackmailed or threatened into giving the thieves their Apple ID credentials, so the thieves can unlock, wipe, and resell the phones. — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 29 May 2026 Dan Levy knows exactly what keeps him up at night, as the possibility of being blackmailed into committing crimes has haunted him for years. — Kennedy French, Variety, 11 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailed

Verb

An Illinois man who allegedly threatened to shoot Chiefs players Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce at a 2024 concert at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium has entered a diversion program, court documents show.

— Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 17 July 2026
The tariffs – whether threatened or implemented – sent shockwaves through the global economy, tested relationships with longstanding allies and pushed a handful of countries to strike trade deals with Washington to limit the damage.

— Hanna Ziady, CNN Money, 16 July 2026

Definition of threatened

Verb

The police chief allegedly extorted the victim and the victim’s father in connection with the pending murder case.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026
The necessity of it to my defence against a more heinous charge could alone have extorted from me so painful an indecorum.

— Tracy Grant, Encyclopedia Britannica, 26 June 2026

Definition of extorted

Verb

Tribal members drove around in a beat-up Buick flinging matches out the window.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 16 July 2026
Giant armored bulldozers—now Caterpillar model D9—stabbed their front blades into the ground and drove forward, flipping fields and shaving off orchards.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 16 July 2026

Definition of drove

Verb

And Kansas rookie White impressed after not playing the previous game.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 17 July 2026
What impressed me was that without stanchions to direct the crowd, fans wove back and forth across the field, creating an orderly line without shoving or cutting.

— Meredith Nierman, NPR, 17 July 2026

Definition of impressed

Verb

In a copy of the complaint that Semafor reviewed, on file with the Maine Human Rights Commission, one union member alleged that Williams harassed another member.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 15 July 2026
Officers whose names are not publicly disclosed have had their identities revealed and been harassed online.

— Shane Harris, The Atlantic, 10 July 2026

Definition of harassed

Verb

While some businesses relying on summer traffic have been forced to temporarily close their doors, others refuse to let the smoke alter their plans.

— Dalia Faheid, CNN Money, 18 July 2026
Funding challenges have forced the closure of re-entry homes like the one at Charlotte’s McLeod Center and the shuttering of re-entry organizations like Redirection-NC as well as local reentry councils across the state.

— Amber Gaudet July 18, Charlotte Observer, 18 July 2026

Definition of forced

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blackmail

blackmailed

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“Blackmailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailed. Accessed 21 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of blackmailed

verb

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