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
Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Making music on my own, the harmonica holder and the harmonica was a way of accompanying myself that didn’t feel forced.
—Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2025
Adam Crafton, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
From product recalls to workplace discrimination, to customer mistreatment scandals, CEOs are often thrust into the spotlight and forced to apologize.
—Prachi Gala, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forced
Adjective
Human rights groups, citing concerns over forced confessions, have condemned a wave of hundreds of arrests and warned that the government is using the June conflict as a pretext to escalate repression.
—Robert Birsel, MSNBC Newsweek, 17 Sep. 2025
Making music on my own, the harmonica holder and the harmonica was a way of accompanying myself that didn’t feel forced.
—Zach Schonfeld, Vulture, 13 Sep. 2025
Verb
No child should be forced to inhale tear gas or other chemical agents while trick-or-treating in their own neighborhood.
—Adam Crafton, New York Times, 3 Nov. 2025
From product recalls to workplace discrimination, to customer mistreatment scandals, CEOs are often thrust into the spotlight and forced to apologize.
—Prachi Gala, The Conversation, 3 Nov. 2025
See All Example Sentences for forced
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forced
Adjective
-
This summer, Wyoming’s Game and Fish Commission passed regulations that designated some sections fly-only and required anglers to pinch their barbs.—
Christine Peterson,
Outdoor Life,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The Chamber argues that the fee was imposed without congressional approval or required rulemaking, in violation of the Administrative Procedure Act.—
Robert Alexander,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Rookie first-round draft pick Nique Clifford has been upgraded to questionable after missing the past four games with a strained right hamstring.—
Jason Anderson,
Sacbee.com,
31 Oct. 2025
-
Father Mother Sister Brother tells the story of estranged siblings who reunite after years apart and are forced to confront unresolved tensions and reevaluate their strained relationships with their emotionally distant parents.—
Zac Ntim,
Deadline,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Last year, the Mets were unwilling to give the 30-year-old slugger a long-term contract, settling on a two-year, $54 million contract with a player opt-out clause for next season, according to Spotrac.—
Shaun McAvoy,
MSNBC Newsweek,
24 Oct. 2025
-
Orpheus, unwilling to have anything to do with women again, chooses to become a swan in his next life, while a swan decides to become a man.—
David Wingrave,
Harpers Magazine,
24 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
North Korea simply may no longer feel strongly compelled to say yes.—
Will Ripley,
CNN Money,
30 Oct. 2025
-
The film, which screenwriter Rowan Joffé adapted from a 2014 novel of the same name by Lawrence Osborne, seems aware of the orientalist mustiness of this premise without being compelled to subvert it in any meaningful way.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Survivors say they were violated in sanctuaries, at pastors’ homes and in tents on camping trips.—
Mike Hixenbaugh,
NBC news,
30 Oct. 2025
-
This comes after the Haas Factory Team driver's contact with Jeb Burton in Martinsville violated the sport's conduct code.—
Alex Harrington,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
Being a quick study is an invaluable knack in repertory theatre, which is where Hopkins, with a two-year interlude for compulsory military service, kicked off his career.—
Anthony Lane,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Under state compulsory-attendance laws, children are required to attend school regularly—typically from ages 6 to 16—and districts are required to track every absence.—
Daniella Gray,
MSNBC Newsweek,
31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
In those meetings, our would-be bosses told us to make mock phone calls to prospective clients to gauge our ability to convince strangers about the merit of an imaginary product.—
Snigdha Poonam,
The Dial,
28 Oct. 2025
-
Instead of focusing on industry experience, assess the transferable skills students build through schoolwork and first jobs, such as critical thinking and problem solving needed for a mock trial in a political science course.—
Allison Danielsen,
Fortune,
26 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Detectives even allegedly coerced Rosie into signing a document implicating Frank Jordano and his father, Iorlando Jordano.—
Emily Blackwood,
PEOPLE,
2 Nov. 2025
-
This is the real danger for the NBA—players who get coerced into trying to rig games.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
28 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forced. Accessed 6 Nov. 2025.
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