as in forced
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as in obliged
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide
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Recent Examples of compelled
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
On June 15, 1215, rebellious nobles compelled King John of England to sign the Magna Carta.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Similarly, the warmer temperatures have compelled outdoor enthusiasts to hit the trails, increasing the odds of a run-in with the serpents.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Discussions were had at those meetings, and every single thing that has happened has been compelled by council action.
—Jack Fink, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
Major streamers like Netflix also have been consolidating their influence in a buyer’s market of late and haven’t felt compelled to invest time or resources in events like Realscreen.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
Even those who advocated for conservative positions were compelled to make their case in language amenable to the liberal sensibility.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Should inflation expectations de-anchor — as measured by the University of Michigan survey or five-year, five-year forward breakeven rates — the Fed may be compelled to maintain or even raise the federal funds rate into restrictive territory.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
Holt, who has lived in Scottsdale for more than three decades and retired last year, said she feels compelled to act.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Adjective
True personal data sovereignty requires systems that make compelled access technically impossible, not merely contractually discouraged.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
Verb
The Epstein files have been a thorn in the DOJ leadership’s side for the past year, culminating in a new law that compelled the department to release all unclassified documents, videos, and photos related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
On June 15, 1215, rebellious nobles compelled King John of England to sign the Magna Carta.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 2 Apr. 2026
Similarly, the warmer temperatures have compelled outdoor enthusiasts to hit the trails, increasing the odds of a run-in with the serpents.
—Karen Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 1 Apr. 2026
Discussions were had at those meetings, and every single thing that has happened has been compelled by council action.
—Jack Fink, CBS News, 31 Mar. 2026
Major streamers like Netflix also have been consolidating their influence in a buyer’s market of late and haven’t felt compelled to invest time or resources in events like Realscreen.
—Dade Hayes, Deadline, 31 Mar. 2026
Even those who advocated for conservative positions were compelled to make their case in language amenable to the liberal sensibility.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 30 Mar. 2026
Should inflation expectations de-anchor — as measured by the University of Michigan survey or five-year, five-year forward breakeven rates — the Fed may be compelled to maintain or even raise the federal funds rate into restrictive territory.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 30 Mar. 2026
Holt, who has lived in Scottsdale for more than three decades and retired last year, said she feels compelled to act.
—Arizona Republic, AZCentral.com, 28 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Adjective
-
But the arc — first raising expectations for a big reveal, then declaring there was nothing to see, and ultimately a forced, flawed document dump — was a stubbornly problematic storyline that ran through her time as attorney general.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
-
Crucially, the experience didn’t feel fake or forced.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Like Ash Wednesday, Good Friday is a day where Catholics are obliged to fast and stay abstinent throughout the day until midnight.—
Mariyam Muhammad,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
1 Apr. 2026
-
The famously-shy sophomore obliged, several of her teammates whipping out their phones to record the big moment.—
Emily Adams,
Hartford Courant,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
And despite widespread reporting about coerced conscription in Russia, Ukraine has engaged in the same practice, with some new recruits sent to the front without adequate training.—
Olivier Kempf,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
-
Arcangela Tarabotti, a seventeenth-century Venetian nun who was put into a convent against her will, wrote a critique of coerced enclosure that begins by eviscerating the idea that men are by nature superior to women.—
Chandler Fritz,
The New York Review of Books,
21 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
For example, you're not obligated to buy the car rental company's expensive insurance, regardless of what a car rental salesperson claims.—
Christopher Elliott,
USA Today,
31 Mar. 2026
-
According to Castle, simple math suggests that the more fake streams the streaming companies are able to eradicate from their systems, the less money they’ll be obligated to dole out to labels.—
Kyle Eustice,
VIBE.com,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Traffic stops represent the most common nonvoluntary interaction between citizens and police officers in the U.S.—
Derek Epp,
The Conversation,
3 Feb. 2023
-
Of the 59 CEOs who departed S&P 500 firms last year, 30.5% were let go on a nonvoluntary basis, up from 22.1% in 2017, according to the Conference Board's 2019 CEO Succession Practices report.—
Fortune,
Fortune,
6 Nov. 2019
Cite this Entry
“Compelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compelled. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
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