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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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of compelled
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 5 Feb. 2026
ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
Cats, however, remain autonomous, understanding the situation without feeling compelled to intervene unless there’s a direct benefit for themselves.
—Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Scientific American, 10 June 2026
Like others, Nikki Halsey learned of the event via Instagram and felt compelled to give it a try.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
Despite the title, each guest is compelled to bring Winegar some token to be opened and discussed.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026
Both are compelled by a strange force beyond their control.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
He is occasionally asked to comment on acts of public violence, compelled to defend the many vigilantes who have appeared in his wake.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
The ensuing outrage compelled the outlet to remove the images.
—Angelica Kalika, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
But Robinson was nevertheless compelled to make his feelings known.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 June 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
If those studies are widely accepted as valid scientific work, then judges will be compelled to admit them as evidence in any lawsuits against said companies.
—ArsTechnica, 12 June 2026
Cats, however, remain autonomous, understanding the situation without feeling compelled to intervene unless there’s a direct benefit for themselves.
—Anirban Mukhopadhyay, Scientific American, 10 June 2026
Like others, Nikki Halsey learned of the event via Instagram and felt compelled to give it a try.
—Sean Timberlake, Sacbee.com, 9 June 2026
Despite the title, each guest is compelled to bring Winegar some token to be opened and discussed.
—Mikey O'Connell, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2026
Both are compelled by a strange force beyond their control.
—ABC News, 3 June 2026
He is occasionally asked to comment on acts of public violence, compelled to defend the many vigilantes who have appeared in his wake.
—Kevin Lozano, Harpers Magazine, 2 June 2026
The ensuing outrage compelled the outlet to remove the images.
—Angelica Kalika, The Conversation, 2 June 2026
But Robinson was nevertheless compelled to make his feelings known.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 2 June 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Adjective
-
The references to the Cure, New Wave, and Eighties bands never feel forced or overdone or too stuck in the past.—
Angie Martoccio,
Rolling Stone,
12 June 2026
-
His arguments often lack logic, and many of the debates feel forced.—
Bobby Burack OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
The landlord would go back to paying the full amount of their property-tax bill but would no longer be obliged to keep the apartments rent-stabilized — after taking care of a few essential steps along the way.—
Olivia Bensimon,
Curbed,
17 June 2026
-
Digital services are also obliged to implement an age verification mechanism that goes beyond self-declaration that the user is over 18 to protect them from accessing inappropriate or prohibited material.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 June 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
-
Musicians aren’t obligated to do anything political as part of the job, and plenty of audiences appreciate when artists don’t preach partisan points of view.—
Marissa R. Moss,
Rolling Stone,
16 June 2026
-
Ziller plans to go to the State Budget Committee on Thursday to ask for a series of payments to which the state is obligated, including $3 million for the Gary blight elimination program.—
Doug Ross,
Chicago Tribune,
16 June 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 19 Jun. 2026.
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