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

Rising costs across the produce supply chain Growing everything from strawberries to collard greens is labor intensive, and for many years, worker shortages have compelled farms to hike wages. — Elizabeth Canales, The Conversation, 16 July 2026

Nolan delivers one fantastical set piece after another to test Matt Damon’s Odysseus, while keeping the audience equally compelled by the palace intrigue back at Ithaca as Anne Hathaway’s Penelope holds off a brutish gaggle of suitors. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 16 July 2026

Maybe a year or two ago, the management of a building may not have felt compelled to let the residents know. — Matthew Sedacca, Curbed, 15 July 2026

Unrest among fans was so high last season that school officials were compelled to release a statement announcing Norvell would be back in 2026. — Ralph D. Russo, New York Times, 15 July 2026

In April, a federal judge compelled arbitration, blocking the claims from going to trial. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 14 July 2026

On the other hand, this is a child who feels compelled to perform normalcy for you. — Chana Joffe-Walt, The New York Review of Books, 14 July 2026

The scene is only too reminiscent of Rohmer’s 1970 film Claire’s Knee, when both Claire and Jérôme are compelled to find a shelter from a sudden downpour. — André Aciman, Literary Hub, 13 July 2026

The goal, the former official explained, was to make life in such a place so intolerable that detainees would be compelled to leave the country altogether. — David Remnick, New Yorker, 13 July 2026