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.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 blackmailed Irene has blackmailed the Bohemian royal family, Carrie is a thief who has stolen rare stamps from a penniless woman unaware of their value, and Fanny disguises as a man to gain access to a bank vault. — Literary Hub, 24 July 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailed

Verb

Opponents said that earlier ordinance, which allowed home sizes to more than double to 3,000 square feet, threatened to turn the island into Georgia’s next coastal development hot spot.

— Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
Biden gave him a presidential pardon after congressional Republicans threatened him with criminal charges over his handling of COVID-19.

— Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 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

Advocates who filed the lawsuit are concerned that people with disabilities will be steered toward or coerced into using this option.

— Theresa Gaffney, STAT, 3 Aug. 2026
Majorities of Americans are worried about election officials being coerced, lax ballot security, and voter intimidation leading up to the 2026 midterm elections, according to new polling from Gallup.

— Morgan Chalfant, semafor.com, 30 July 2026

Definition of coerced

Verb

Defensively, Oviedo transfer Hayden Harper and youngster Bret Smith have impressed in preseason practice, which will help deal with the loss of Jaylen Lowman, who was second in the state for interceptions last year with 10.

— Chris Hays, The Orlando Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026
He always has been impressed by how the game never seems to speed up on Gausman.

— Meghan Montemurro, Chicago Tribune, 7 Aug. 2026

Definition of impressed

Verb

The investigation also probed Arday's past claims about being threatened and harassed on campus following his Cambridge appointment, which reportedly yielded some inconsistencies.

— Mason Leib, ABC News, 6 Aug. 2026
Union activists routinely harassed migrants, reported them to immigration authorities and even organized their own patrols along the border, some of which resulted in violence against immigrants.

— Eladio Bobadilla, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of harassed

Verb

While Homer followed warriors sailing home from Troy, the playwright Euripides — writing some three centuries later — turned to the city’s ruins and its women, forced into exile and enslavement.

— ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
Just as Treasury is likely forced back toward longer-term bonds, the Fed under new Chair Kevin Warsh is moving to shrink its own balance sheet.

— Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 8 Aug. 2026

Definition of forced

Browse Nearby Words

blackmail

blackmailed

blackmailer

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

“Blackmailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailed. Accessed 10 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

Synonyms of blackmailed

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster on blackmailed

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

pedagogical

Popular in Grammar & Usage

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

The Words of the Week - Aug. 7

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Popular

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

Games & Quizzes