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
Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
But the pair had crashed several times on track to that point, and Mercedes had felt compelled to freeze any strategy variance to avoid favoring one or the other.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
In detailing the chain of events that compelled Hulu to move on, what emerges is a case study of how not to handle the reboot of a valuable TV franchise.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
But why do brands and individuals alike feel so compelled to write their names on anything and everything?
—Brandon Kaipo Moningka, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Mallah says he's been part of the community for nearly three decades and felt compelled to help.
—Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
In the worst case, a much steeper decline, one would be compelled to purchase the stock at $265 (the 200 DMA), a more than 20% discount to the recent highs.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026
The tragedy compelled him to retire after 40 years in law enforcement and run for office.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
The Epstein files have been a thorn in the DOJ leadership’s side for the past year, culminating in a new law that compelled the department to release all unclassified documents, videos, and photos related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 3 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
Or rather, he would be compelled to rest more.
—Kevin Acee, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Apr. 2026
But the pair had crashed several times on track to that point, and Mercedes had felt compelled to freeze any strategy variance to avoid favoring one or the other.
—Alex Kalinauckas, New York Times, 9 Apr. 2026
In detailing the chain of events that compelled Hulu to move on, what emerges is a case study of how not to handle the reboot of a valuable TV franchise.
—Chris O'Falt, IndieWire, 8 Apr. 2026
But why do brands and individuals alike feel so compelled to write their names on anything and everything?
—Brandon Kaipo Moningka, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2026
Mallah says he's been part of the community for nearly three decades and felt compelled to help.
—Hannah McIlree, CBS News, 8 Apr. 2026
In the worst case, a much steeper decline, one would be compelled to purchase the stock at $265 (the 200 DMA), a more than 20% discount to the recent highs.
—Michael Khouw, CNBC, 6 Apr. 2026
The tragedy compelled him to retire after 40 years in law enforcement and run for office.
—Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald, 4 Apr. 2026
The Epstein files have been a thorn in the DOJ leadership’s side for the past year, culminating in a new law that compelled the department to release all unclassified documents, videos, and photos related to Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell.
—David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 3 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelled
Adjective
-
Navarro says that when every piece of décor is in matching pairs, the space can feel forced, overly staged, and even a little sterile.—
Wendy Rose Gould,
Martha Stewart,
11 Apr. 2026
-
But the arc — first raising expectations for a big reveal, then declaring there was nothing to see, and ultimately a forced, flawed document dump — was a stubbornly problematic storyline that ran through her time as attorney general.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
3 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The astronauts obliged, returning detailed observations of Orientale.—
Mike Wall,
Space.com,
11 Apr. 2026
-
Seeking an opportunity to be a full-time starter, Thompson requested a trade from the organization the following offseason, and general manager Kelly McCrimmon obliged, sending him to Washington.—
Jesse Granger,
New York Times,
11 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
-
Right to counsel All of this should be unacceptable in a country that believes in the rule of law and that should be obligated to treat every person humanely.—
Erwin Chemerinsky,
Mercury News,
14 Apr. 2026
-
So they're getting paid for work that they're already obligated to do.—
JT Moodee Lockman,
CBS News,
13 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 16 Apr. 2026.
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