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
Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
The Frist felt compelled to spotlight one more Nashville women artist as part of its 25th anniversary celebration.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Liberty students said they were also compelled to speak out after seeing ongoing discussions of an ICE facility potentially coming to the Kansas City area and hearing rumors of ICE agents allegedly going door-to-door in nearby Gladstone.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Deaths in Minneapolis Spark Outrage But video footage of the deaths of Good and Pretti—which appeared to directly contradict the accounts of federal officials—compelled some tech leaders to publicly speak up.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
That same day, a doctor at Parkview treating Kevin felt compelled to speak up.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Entrepreneur Martha Stewart felt compelled to weigh in on the state of the nation after being pressured by her granddaughter to say something.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
As the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the enclave spiralled, Ghanem and hundreds of other KCL students felt compelled to act.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Nevertheless, he was compelled to speak and take an antiwar position.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Verb
We are compelled, from the indirect astrophysical evidence and the high-quality null results from direct detection efforts, to consider it seriously.
—Big Think, 29 Jan. 2026
The Frist felt compelled to spotlight one more Nashville women artist as part of its 25th anniversary celebration.
—Chadd Scott, Forbes.com, 28 Jan. 2026
Liberty students said they were also compelled to speak out after seeing ongoing discussions of an ICE facility potentially coming to the Kansas City area and hearing rumors of ICE agents allegedly going door-to-door in nearby Gladstone.
—Jenna Ebbers, Kansas City Star, 28 Jan. 2026
Advertisement Deaths in Minneapolis Spark Outrage But video footage of the deaths of Good and Pretti—which appeared to directly contradict the accounts of federal officials—compelled some tech leaders to publicly speak up.
—Andrew R. Chow, Time, 27 Jan. 2026
That same day, a doctor at Parkview treating Kevin felt compelled to speak up.
—Peter Van Sant, CBS News, 27 Jan. 2026
Entrepreneur Martha Stewart felt compelled to weigh in on the state of the nation after being pressured by her granddaughter to say something.
—Brian Niemietz, New York Daily News, 27 Jan. 2026
As the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli forces in the enclave spiralled, Ghanem and hundreds of other KCL students felt compelled to act.
—Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 23 Jan. 2026
Nevertheless, he was compelled to speak and take an antiwar position.
—Steve Sadin, Chicago Tribune, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Adjective
-
What comes through most vividly is the sense of forced placidity, the assembly-line-like control over life and activity this country club comes to represent.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
24 Jan. 2026
-
But, unlike the references to modern beauty and diet culture, which feel organically woven into the story, the guest-star appearances feel forced, as if TV, too, has to transform into something else to stay relevant.—
Inkoo Kang,
New Yorker,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Marshall, like all the rest of them, was eventually let go for not knowing anything, but not before more time was wasted by detectives, who were obliged to interview most of these sideshows.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
27 Jan. 2026
-
Under federal law, the company was obliged to report the error and return the money.—
David Lyons,
Sun Sentinel,
20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Deradicalization is equally vital—not as a coerced reeducation, but as part of a healing process that encompasses Israelis as well as Palestinians.—
Samer Sinijlawi,
The Atlantic,
13 Nov. 2025
-
Prosecutors retried one of the men, John Kogut – who had made a coerced confession to the murder – but he was acquitted.—
Lauren del Valle,
CNN Money,
16 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Frontline managers who feel obligated to second-guess strategy.—
Brendan Keegan,
Rolling Stone,
27 Jan. 2026
-
You are not obligated to disclose personal details at work.—
Essence,
Essence,
26 Jan. 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 31 Jan. 2026.
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