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
Sophia Rey, JSTOR Daily, 28 May 2026
Large pharmaceutical companies are structurally compelled to acquire.
—Marc Cooper, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Singleton-Hill also felt compelled to seek private therapy.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 27 May 2026
This month’s suit asks that Suarez, Miami Beach mayor Steven Meiner, and other officials be compelled to produce documents related to that case, reports Intercept.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 26 May 2026
The Takeaway That Google would feel compelled to enter a new subcategory to match a startup that many consumers likely still haven’t heard of speaks to how far this segment has come.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
Trump is not compelled to release any information, and there is no template for the presidential exam.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 26 May 2026
When the subject of literature came up, Monroe seemed compelled to play to ditzy expectations.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
But the connection that ultimately compelled him was less intellectual than physical.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 May 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
As imperial forces traversed continents, the meanings and uses of these arrivals—whether people, plants, or ideologies— were actively negotiated and reshaped by the societies and environments compelled to contend with them.
—Sophia Rey, JSTOR Daily, 28 May 2026
Large pharmaceutical companies are structurally compelled to acquire.
—Marc Cooper, Forbes.com, 28 May 2026
Singleton-Hill also felt compelled to seek private therapy.
—Jake Kanter, Deadline, 27 May 2026
This month’s suit asks that Suarez, Miami Beach mayor Steven Meiner, and other officials be compelled to produce documents related to that case, reports Intercept.
—Brian Boucher, ARTnews.com, 26 May 2026
The Takeaway That Google would feel compelled to enter a new subcategory to match a startup that many consumers likely still haven’t heard of speaks to how far this segment has come.
—Bloomberg, Mercury News, 26 May 2026
Trump is not compelled to release any information, and there is no template for the presidential exam.
—Swapna Venugopal Ramaswamy, USA Today, 26 May 2026
When the subject of literature came up, Monroe seemed compelled to play to ditzy expectations.
—Los Angeles Times, 25 May 2026
But the connection that ultimately compelled him was less intellectual than physical.
—Naman Ramachandran, Variety, 22 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Adjective
-
Stephen Colbert, Letterman’s successor as host of CBS’s The Late Show for the past 11 years, is leaving his job under more forced, awkward circumstances.—
David Sims,
The Atlantic,
22 May 2026
-
His wife Christine is charged with conspiracy to commit forced labor.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Fatu challenged Reigns to Tribal Combat and the champion obliged.—
Ryan Gaydos,
FOXNews.com,
26 May 2026
-
Under the conditions of his bail, Partey is obliged to notify authorities of any plans to travel abroad.—
Jessica Hopkins,
New York Times,
26 May 2026
Adjective
-
Such coerced displacement did not — and could not — extinguish rights guaranteed by a still-valid agreement.—
Shaun Chapoose,
Denver Post,
20 May 2026
-
Russia has targeted the children through coerced adoption and family separation, forcing them to speak the Russian language and take on its cultural identity and customs — what’s known as Russification.—
Shahrzad Rasekh,
Hartford Courant,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
The loser of an arbitration can petition a judge to vacate the arbitration decision, but judges are obligated to be deferential to arbitration decisions.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
26 May 2026
-
Your bank is legally obligated to comply.—
Angelica Leicht,
CBS News,
26 May 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 30 May. 2026.
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