1
as in required
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law
forced payment of membership dues
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in strained
lacking in natural or spontaneous quality
wasn't thrilled with the suggestion and so responded with a forced smile
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in unwilling
not made or done willingly or by choice
participation in the program was forced
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in compelled
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
the public outcry from the scandal forced the mayor to resign road construction forced them to take an alternate route
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in violated
to engage in sexual activity and especially intercourse with a person unwilling or unable to give consent
was accused of forcing a woman
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forced
Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court, targets efforts to bring resources to underserved schools going back decades and rooted in battles over forced and voluntary integration.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
But shortly before the World Championships that year, Kayne was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her right knee, and the team was forced to pull out of Worlds.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forced
Adjective
But, unlike the references to modern beauty and diet culture, which feel organically woven into the story, the guest-star appearances feel forced, as if TV, too, has to transform into something else to stay relevant.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
The lawsuit, filed Tuesday in federal court, targets efforts to bring resources to underserved schools going back decades and rooted in battles over forced and voluntary integration.
—Howard Blume, Los Angeles Times, 21 Jan. 2026
Verb
Once recruited, victims were allegedly forced to conduct romance scams, fake cryptocurrency investment schemes and other online frauds targeting victims abroad.
—Dylan Butts, CNBC, 16 Feb. 2026
But shortly before the World Championships that year, Kayne was diagnosed with a stress fracture in her right knee, and the team was forced to pull out of Worlds.
—Scott M. Reid, Oc Register, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forced
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forced
Adjective
-
The proposal underscores a complicated moment for Jewish literature in Texas schools, where books about the Holocaust and Jewish history have recently been pulled from shelves amid parental complaints but are now poised to become required reading statewide.—
Andrew Lapin,
Sun Sentinel,
16 Feb. 2026
-
While advocates and some commissioners urged the county to file a lawsuit to clarify its role and required duties, Demings chose a more careful path.—
Ryan Gillespie,
The Orlando Sentinel,
13 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
As Derya and Aziz’s hypocrisies, as upper-class intellectuals, are increasingly brought to the fore, Namal and Biçer’s conversational performances grow haggard and strained.—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Gregg Phillips, an associate administrator at FEMA, said at a hearing this week that its disaster relief fund has sufficient balances to continue emergency response activities during a shutdown, but would become seriously strained in the event of a catastrophic disaster.—
Mary Clare Jalonick,
Chicago Tribune,
12 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Iran continues to be unwilling to even discuss its ballistic missile program.—
Nina Srinivasan Rathbun,
The Conversation,
17 Feb. 2026
-
White House border czar Tom Homan said the administration was unwilling to agree to Democrats' demands that federal officers clearly identify themselves, remove masks during operations and display unique ID numbers.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Anecdotes like these are the reason Wong felt compelled to start documenting mahjong traditions.—
Grace Hwang Lynch,
Mercury News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
Never has Congress compelled the testimony of a former president under threat of contempt charges.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
UMass Amherst likely violated a student’s First Amendment rights when the campus suspended the pro-Palestine protester for a year, a judge has ruled.—
Rick Sobey,
Boston Herald,
16 Feb. 2026
-
As a result, the plaintiffs argued, the administration also violated the National Environmental Policy Act of 1969 by failing to consider the harmful environmental impacts of the project.—
Safiyah Riddle,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Where military service is compulsory, and may only disappoint our best or even worst men, but can be interrupted, thank god, by life’s hairpin turns.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
16 Feb. 2026
-
European and American teachings focused more on compulsory figures, the basic patterns skaters would trace across the ice that give the sport its name.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
During the test, teams will run through the full range of operations that would take place on launch day, including loading the SLS rocket with 700,000 gallons cryogenic liquid propellant that is later drained and conducting a mock countdown.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
17 Feb. 2026
-
Kids will have a blast at the Seaport Museum next door, especially when exploring the mock-village section and tall-mast whaling ship.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In another case in 2023, authorities said an adult posing as a child used Roblox's chat function to contact a 12-year-old boy and later coerced him into sending explicit photos.—
Zachary Bynum,
CBS News,
18 Feb. 2026
-
Hearst maintained that she was coerced, but she was convicted and sentenced to 35 years in prison.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
16 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forced. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
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