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
Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Fisher felt compelled to respond.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
By selling the 350 puts one takes on the risk of being compelled to purchase the stock at that strike price, but that’s where the stock was trading before this earnings release.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 1 May 2026
None of this would’ve been possible without Lively and Baldoni, adversaries whose spite and resources compelled them to continue to pursue litigation when just about everyone else in their positions would have quickly settled in the cloaked realm of arbitration.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
Women are compelled to suppress their desires, intellects, and emotions in Gilead.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
Detective Joshua Hylton was granted a geofence warrant that compelled Google to search its database and identify every cellphone in a 17½-acre area around the bank, including private residences and a church, for a period of two hours.
—Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2026
Which is why he feels compelled to spread awareness for brain injuries through his clothing brand, Toro & Tides.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
Given his Day 3 status, the Panthers won’t feel compelled to rush him into starter duty.
—Mike Kaye
april 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 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
Kristil Krug’s cousin believes that if communications companies had been compelled to respond faster, officials could have identified who was making the threats and saved her.
—Tim Stelloh, NBC news, 1 May 2026
Fisher felt compelled to respond.
—ABC News, 1 May 2026
By selling the 350 puts one takes on the risk of being compelled to purchase the stock at that strike price, but that’s where the stock was trading before this earnings release.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 1 May 2026
None of this would’ve been possible without Lively and Baldoni, adversaries whose spite and resources compelled them to continue to pursue litigation when just about everyone else in their positions would have quickly settled in the cloaked realm of arbitration.
—Gary Baum, HollywoodReporter, 30 Apr. 2026
Women are compelled to suppress their desires, intellects, and emotions in Gilead.
—Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 29 Apr. 2026
Detective Joshua Hylton was granted a geofence warrant that compelled Google to search its database and identify every cellphone in a 17½-acre area around the bank, including private residences and a church, for a period of two hours.
—Anne Toomey McKenna, The Conversation, 29 Apr. 2026
Which is why he feels compelled to spread awareness for brain injuries through his clothing brand, Toro & Tides.
—Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 28 Apr. 2026
Given his Day 3 status, the Panthers won’t feel compelled to rush him into starter duty.
—Mike Kaye
april 22, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Adjective
-
Some of his jabs seemed a bit forced and stagy.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Apr. 2026
-
In nearly every practical sense, these conditions mirror those faced by people in forced labor.—
CNN Money,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jack Warner didn’t much like the title, and requested it be changed to The Night Action; Reeves obliged.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Referee James Williams obliged and gave Booker the penalty.—
Ryan Gaydos OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
23 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The third would allow survivors of coerced debt to formally challenge such obligations with a creditor, and the last would create a program to help survivors get home security to protect themselves from future harm.—
Lauren Linder,
CBS News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
And despite widespread reporting about coerced conscription in Russia, Ukraine has engaged in the same practice, with some new recruits sent to the front without adequate training.—
Olivier Kempf,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The answer can have serious implications in a variety of scenarios, including when an employee is owed overtime pay and whether an additional company is obligated to pay it.—
Keith Sonderling,
Fortune,
28 Apr. 2026
-
There was early skepticism about whether a non-journalist like Frost would or could ask tough questions, even though Nixon’s contract obligated him to discuss Watergate.—
Lorna Veraldi,
Encyclopedia Britannica,
27 Apr. 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 4 May. 2026.
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