COMPELLING Synonyms: 125 Similar and Opposite Words

compelling 1 of 2

adjective

kəm-ˈpe-liŋ

Definition of compelling

as in convincing

having the power to persuade made a compelling argument against military intervention

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in urgent

needing immediate attention no compelling need to raise taxes at this time

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of compelling

Adjective

And in a city that rarely slows its rhythm, Lincoln made a compelling case for enjoying the pause. — Walaa Elsiddig, Billboard, 6 Nov. 2026 The Giants are a particularly compelling landing spot, considering Henry played under head coach John Harbaugh in Baltimore from 2024-25. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 6 Nov. 2026

Verb

Agents instead went to several reporters' homes on the night of Friday, July 10 - just two days after the first story was published - with subpoenas compelling their testimony before a grand jury. — David Folkenflik, NPR, 23 July 2026 Cruise portrays Digger Rockwell, an eccentric oil magnate whose decisions put the world on the brink of catastrophe, ultimately compelling him to embark on an improbable mission to rescue humanity. — Christina Dugan Ramirez, FOXNews.com, 13 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for compelling

Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelling

Adjective

Yet in the wrong hands, those same details can help identify people involved in sensitive operations or make targeted scams much more convincing.

— Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 6 Nov. 2026
Democratic candidates also took a convincing majority in House races, despite competing in several states whose districts were redrawn to favor Republicans.

— Ruby Siefken, NPR, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of convincing

Adjective

Hollywood largely stayed out of the fight despite what appears to be an increasingly urgent situation emerging in which workers across the industry are failing to qualify for union health insurance plans.

— Winston Cho, HollywoodReporter, 4 Nov. 2026
With Anthropic expected to IPO sooner than later, an event that could tip the rest of the stock market into a tailspin, the question of how to cover this world without becoming an accessory to its interests feels ever more urgent.

— Nicholas Quah, Vulture, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of urgent

Verb

The action revolves around the theft of Santa’s magic bag by a naughty elf, forcing him to enlist the help of a thief called Vance, played by Reacher star Alan Ritchson, to get it back.

— Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 2 Nov. 2026
But what begins as emulating her mother’s favorite role-playing game turns fantastical, as the RPG itself bleeds into the real world, channeling Hattie’s grief and forcing her to rely on her father once more.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of forcing

Adjective

Bailey’s findings are compelling but shouldn’t be considered conclusive, cautions Richard Blakemore, maritime history professor at the University of Reading in the United Kingdom who also wasn’t involved with Bailey’s work.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Nov. 2026
The evidence is intriguing but not conclusive, historians caution; Jones was a common name, and the records do not definitively establish his role.

— Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 2 Nov. 2026

Definition of conclusive

Adjective

The track’s watery percussion and acute synth stabs carry all the implication of a dancefloor, even without a beat.

— Shaad D’Souza, Pitchfork, 4 Nov. 2026
Chronic diastolic congestive heart failure was an underlying cause, and acute renal failure was also listed as a significant contributing condition.

— Tracy Brown, Los Angeles Times, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of acute

Verb

In lawsuits filed last year, Chegg and PMC accused Google of abusing its monopoly power by coercing publishers into supplying content for AI Overviews for free, or risk disappearing from search results.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 1 Oct. 2026
Playing that cat, a work camp warden coercing Hawke’s character into smuggling gold through the wilderness, is none other than Russell Crowe.

— Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of coercing

Verb

Recipe development can be a self-effacing task, obliging the writer to anticipate the appetites and routines of her imagined reader.

— Hannah Goldfield, New Yorker, 7 Sep. 2026
First is to prevent their further migration by enforcing an international treaty obliging national authorities to treat ballast waters inside incoming ships that may carry such species.

— ABC News, ABC News, 30 July 2026

Definition of obliging

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Style

“Compelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compelling. Accessed 11 Nov. 2026.

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Synonyms of compelling

adjective

verb

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