Synonyms of compelling

compelling 1 of 2

adjective

kəm-ˈpe-liŋ 

1

as in convincing

having the power to persuade

made a compelling argument against military intervention

Synonyms & Similar Words

• convincing
• conclusive
• strong
• persuasive
• effective
• satisfying
• valid
• decisive
• cogent
• definitive
• forceful
• authoritative
• telling
• important
• significant
• relevant
• sound
• pertinent
• well-founded
• material
• weighty

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• ineffective
• unconvincing
• inconclusive
• indecisive
• unpersuasive
• shaky
• uncompelling
• unfounded
• invalid
• insignificant
• unimportant
• unsound
• irrelevant
• groundless
• inconsequential
• immaterial
• weak
• feeble

2

as in urgent

needing immediate attention

no compelling need to raise taxes at this time

Synonyms & Similar Words

• urgent
• acute
• intense
• critical
• emergent
• pressing
• imperative
• dire
• desperate
• crying
• serious
• instant
• exigent
• importunate
• necessitous
• crucial
• immediate
• insistent
• imperious
• clamant
• burning
• extreme
• overriding
• dangerous
• demanding
• hazardous
• vital
• life-and-death
• explosive
• perilous
• precarious
• severe
• unstable
• grave

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• trivial
• minor
• incidental
• negligible
• unimportant
• stable
• safe
• low-pressure
• noncritical
• nonurgent
• nonthreatening

compelling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of compel

as in forcing

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide

Synonyms & Similar Words

• forcing
• coercing
• obliging
• obligating
• driving
• impelling
• intimidating
• constraining
• pressuring
• impressing
• pressing
• blackmailing
• making
• bullying
• blackjacking
• muscling
• dragooning
• sandbagging
• threatening
• twisting one's arm
• menacing
• hectoring
• browbeating
• badgering
• terrorizing
• bulldozing
• cowing
• dragging
• shaming
• harassing
• high-pressuring
• hounding

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• allowing
• permitting
• letting
• moving
• satisfying
• talking (into)
• arguing
• winning (over)
• inducing
• prevailing (on or upon)
• convincing
• persuading

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of compelling

Adjective

As Mikey, Fred Hechinger gives off young Tobey Maguire vibes, and the movie uses that aura with compelling poignance. — Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

All of the big talk about personal drive, which makes Free Solo so darkly compelling, immediately crumbles into selfish pablum the second that children are introduced into the equation. — Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2026

Verb

His mission is to keep photos of the lounge off social media, compelling the curious to come in and see it for themselves. — John Wenzel, Denver Post, 8 July 2026

Selaocoe extends that feeling after the song ends by once again compelling the audience to join him in song. — Sheila Regan, Twin Cities, 22 May 2026