1
as in convincing
having the power to persuade
made a compelling argument against military intervention
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in urgent
needing immediate attention
no compelling need to raise taxes at this time
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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Recent Examples of compelling
Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026
Here are some of the more compelling — and controversial — backstories from the kit designs on show in soccer’s biggest event, currently taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
—Steve Douglas, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
Dan Mangan, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.
—Elliott Ramos, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compelling
Adjective
Those themes are compelling on paper, but they’re expressed through a confusing mix of abstraction and hyper-local specificity, hidden beneath biker rock riffs, and obscured through Allbrook’s wiry, wailing vocal delivery.
—Cassidy Sollazzo, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026
Here are some of the more compelling — and controversial — backstories from the kit designs on show in soccer’s biggest event, currently taking place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
—Steve Douglas, Chicago Tribune, 19 June 2026
Verb
On March 17, the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena to Bondi, compelling her to sit for a deposition about the DOJ's handling of the Epstein files on April 14.
—Dan Mangan, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
The Justice Department initially said that its release, made in response to a law passed by Congress compelling the agency to disclose nearly all files related to Epstein, comprised more than 3 million pages.
—Elliott Ramos, CBS News, 3 Mar. 2026
See All Example Sentences for compelling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compelling
Adjective
-
That means the messages can look cleaner, the websites can appear more convincing and the operation can move faster.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
-
Strong as a curly-haired blond is less convincing at first sight—but the fact that viewers are able to meticulously judge this portrayal speaks less to the film and more to the way in which Zuckerberg has penetrated the collective consciousness.—
José Criales-Unzueta,
Vanity Fair,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
The cultural conversation happening here is nuanced and urgent and almost entirely invisible to the average visitor.—
Baz Dreisinger,
Forbes.com,
21 June 2026
-
The result is documentary filmmaking at its most urgent and compassionate.—
Matthew Carey,
Deadline,
21 June 2026
Verb
-
Clark finished with 21 points, forcing Toronto to respect her scoring ability and preventing defenders from keying solely on her passing.—
Alejandro Avila OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
17 June 2026
-
The Saudis should be thrilled with the draw, as favored Uruguay, La Celeste, dominated large patches of the match with 67 percent overall possession, a 10-3 margin in shots, 14-4 in corner kicks, more than double the accurate passes and forcing nine saves of the busy Saudi goalkeeper.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
16 June 2026
Adjective
-
However, a three-judge panel selected for a legal assessment of the findings found that the investigation was not conclusive enough.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
-
Bartošák-Harlow said there's no conclusive evidence of who has and who has not paid a toll in the past, and there wasn't any sort of record, adding that companies should not be paying a toll for passage through an international waterway.—
Tom Bowman,
NPR,
17 June 2026
Adjective
-
Emilia had cancer — B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia.—
Kate Bilo,
CBS News,
16 June 2026
-
As her life is starting, her mother suffers from an acute schizophrenic episode.—
Rafa Sales Ross,
Variety,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Travis Reed, who was a fire captain with the now-defunct Briar Volunteer Fire Department, admitted to coercing a minor into producing child pornography in September, according to a summary of facts in the case.—
Lillie Davidson,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
18 June 2026
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The Justice Against Weaponized Bureaucratic Overreach to Networked Expression Act would prohibit federal agencies and employees from coercing or trying to coerce broadcasters and providers of online services or AI services into changing content.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
11 June 2026
Adjective
-
Catherine Bracy, the CEO of TechEquity, a tech advocacy group that favors stronger AI regulations, speculated that the Anthropic employees were receiving advice to back Becerra because of his frontrunner status.—
Ben Paviour,
Sacbee.com,
17 June 2026
-
Sinks on the vanity have slanted, green marble angles giving them a trendy look, and the faucet’s water spray is equivalent to a drenching rainfall shower (wide, strong, and incredibly impressive).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
Verb
-
The Swedish parliament on Monday adopted a law obliging public sector workers to report to the police any migrants who are not authorized to live in Sweden.—
Claudia Ciobanu,
Los Angeles Times,
15 June 2026
-
The incident triggered a fire alarm, obliging the entire French delegation — some of whom were still in their pyjamas — to evacuate the building.—
Tom Williams,
New York Times,
17 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Compelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compelling. Accessed 23 Jun. 2026.
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