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
Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
With former swing tackle Yosh Nijman retiring Wednesday, the Panthers were compelled to look elsewhere for Ekwonu insurance.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2026
Contempt proceedings, sanctions, compelled disclosures and reputational damage are powerful tools that operate independently of the trust’s legal fortress.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Assadollahzadeh lay awake in his bed, wrestling with the enormity of the decision he was now compelled to make.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Brahim Diaz, who felt compelled to leave City to find a first-team pathway, was up front.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The second was delivered when Tang in 2024 was courted by Arkansas, and the school felt compelled to retain him because of that one shining moment.
—Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
According to Feinstein, the co-opting of her image was part of the reason Minnelli felt compelled to tell her story herself.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
Republicans compelled the former secretary of state to testify; her husband, former President Bill Clinton will do so today.
—semafor.com, 3 Mar. 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
This year, Israelis were compelled by circumstance to celebrate Purim in or near their bomb shelters.
—Michael M. Rosen, The Washington Examiner, 13 Mar. 2026
With former swing tackle Yosh Nijman retiring Wednesday, the Panthers were compelled to look elsewhere for Ekwonu insurance.
—Mike Kaye
updated March 13, Charlotte Observer, 13 Mar. 2026
Contempt proceedings, sanctions, compelled disclosures and reputational damage are powerful tools that operate independently of the trust’s legal fortress.
—Ascend Agency, Chicago Tribune, 12 Mar. 2026
Assadollahzadeh lay awake in his bed, wrestling with the enormity of the decision he was now compelled to make.
—Don Riddell, CNN Money, 12 Mar. 2026
Brahim Diaz, who felt compelled to leave City to find a first-team pathway, was up front.
—James Horncastle, New York Times, 12 Mar. 2026
The second was delivered when Tang in 2024 was courted by Arkansas, and the school felt compelled to retain him because of that one shining moment.
—Kansas City Star, 11 Mar. 2026
According to Feinstein, the co-opting of her image was part of the reason Minnelli felt compelled to tell her story herself.
—Mason Leib, ABC News, 10 Mar. 2026
Republicans compelled the former secretary of state to testify; her husband, former President Bill Clinton will do so today.
—semafor.com, 3 Mar. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Adjective
-
The Connecticut State Police’s Tactical Team was requested to assist and made forced entry into the residence.—
Staff Report,
Hartford Courant,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Gosling seems genuinely interested in the watches, meaning the partnership feels authentic and the watch cameos not overly forced.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
This last image was already ripe for parody decades ago, and Koos Kombuis obliged in his 1980 song Kaalvoet (Barefoot), sending the trekkers over the mountains with picnic hampers, polony, and their sneakers (takkies) forgotten at home.—
Jan Steyn,
The Dial,
10 Mar. 2026
-
The state felt obliged to make up the difference.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Mar. 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
-
The same day, Weber’s office argued that the Secretary of State is not obligated to enforce the residency requirement.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
10 Mar. 2026
-
If it is now widely accepted that truthful portrayals of war are both technically and morally impossible, what are artists still obligated to picture in this moment when war is proliferating across the globe?—
Hanlu Zhang,
Artforum,
10 Mar. 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 16 Mar. 2026.
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