Synonyms of compelled

compelled 1 of 2

adjective

as in forced

Related Words

• forced
• coerced
• unwilled
• nonvoluntary
• involuntary
• enforced
• will-less
• compulsory
• mandatory
• required
• necessary
• ordered
• obligatory
• nonelective

Dissimilar Words

• willing
• voluntary
• volunteer
• volitional
• optional
• discretionary
• uncoerced
• elective
• unforced
• self-imposed
• spontaneous
• instinctive
• freewill
• impulsive
• unpremeditated

compelled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of compel

as in obliged

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide

Synonyms & Similar Words

• forced
• obliged
• obligated
• coerced
• drove
• pressured
• impelled
• constrained
• pressed
• intimidated
• impressed
• blackmailed
• dragooned
• made
• bullied
• muscled
• sandbagged
• blackjacked
• threatened
• cowed
• hectored
• browbeat
• dragged
• shamed
• badgered
• twisted one's arm
• menaced
• terrorized
• bulldozed
• harassed
• hounded
• high-pressured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• let
• allowed
• permitted
• convinced
• moved
• induced
• satisfied
• argued
• won (over)
• persuaded
• talked (into)
• prevailed (on or upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of compelled

Adjective

The second argument made by the DOJ was a First Amendment argument, specifically what is called compelled speech. — Stefani Langehennig, The Conversation, 9 July 2026

True personal data sovereignty requires systems that make compelled access technically impossible, not merely contractually discouraged. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026

Verb

This compelled the company to use a Chinese AI model to defend against the onslaught. — Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026

Ultimately, if the state steps in with loans, the district would be compelled to cede day-to-day management to an outside caretaker, reducing the district’s board and administration to bystanders. — Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Ingeborg is regularly compelled to steal things, while Adam is fixated on becoming an object himself. — Josh Slater-Williams, IndieWire, 11 Aug. 2026

The second atomic bomb—not the first—broke the deadlock within Japan’s leadership, compelled Emperor Hirohito to intervene in the political process, and set in motion Japan’s surrender. — James M. Scott, Time, 10 Aug. 2026

Owusu keeps them moving as if compelled by instinct, driven to find water, a place to sleep, and a kind person willing to give them a lift. — Jay Weissberg, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026

No law required it, no lawsuit compelled it, and the commission had not even reported. — Jason Snyder, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026

Anna is a complicated character dealing with a mysterious trauma that has compelled the career change to become a ranger. — Bryan Alexander, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026

DeepSeek’s January 2025 announcement compelled many observers to acknowledge a trajectory that Beijing had been articulating through industrial policies, successive Five-Year Plans, and national technology strategies for more than a decade. — Dewardric L. McNeal, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026