forced 1 of 2

adjective

ˈfȯrst How to pronounce forced (audio)
Definition of forcednext
1
as in required
forcing one's compliance or participation by or as if by law forced payment of membership dues

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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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

forced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of force
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

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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

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 forced
Adjective
Lanterns works so well in part because it was conceived as a standalone complete story, albeit one with ramifications for future DCU projects, thereby freeing up the writers to create something truly unique, with no forced, awkward tie-ins. — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 19 Oct. 2026 The sparkle in her eyes had dulled and her smile seemed forced. — Cheyenne Roundtree, Rolling Stone, 20 Aug. 2026
Verb
In the southern port city of Marseille, some shops and a municipal police station were damaged, while protesters briefly forced their way into the lobby of City Hall. — Sylvie Corbet, Arkansas Online, 18 Oct. 2026 Performers weren’t spared either, with several forced to perform in the rain without covering for both artists and their equipment. — Isabel Rivera, Miami Herald, 18 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for forced
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forced
  1. required
  2. strained
  3. unwilling
  4. compelled
  5. violated
  6. compulsory
  7. mock
  8. coerced
Adjective
  • Neither Castillo nor Hershey have filed required ethics reports, or reported fundraising, signs their campaigns lack broad support and have not broadly engaged voters.
    — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
  • However, recovering their constituent materials at the required purity for reuse is technically challenging.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2026
Definition of required
Adjective
  • That decision left the financially strained athletic department staring at a buyout of roughly $50 million.
    — Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 1 Nov. 2026
  • The relationship between LaLiga and Real Madrid is beyond strained—see Tebas’ Nazi comments as an example—but on this two agreed that everyone involved had to bend the knee.
    — Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 30 Oct. 2026
Definition of strained
Adjective
  • What resulted was a midterm repudiation of Republicans that, as election night wore on, some in the White House were unwilling to own.
    — Shelby Talcott, semafor.com, 4 Nov. 2026
  • With Beijing unwilling to address weak consumption, exports now fuel more than half of the country’s growth, according to Rhodium’s numbers, making access to Western markets China’s economic Achilles’ heel.
    — THEODORE BUNZEL, Foreign Affairs, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of unwilling
Verb
  • Doncic said there has always been something in him that compelled him to establish connections with fans.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
  • From the classic ‘Whodunit’ style to thrilling neonoirs, mystery novels have compelled readers to solve cases alongside detectives like Hercule Poirot.
    — Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026
Definition of compelled
Verb
  • Cops test Celsius cans to make arrest Over months of prolonged multi-turn exchanges that sometimes stayed open for weeks, ChatGPT seemingly violated its own Model Spec to help Cheryl advance the plan.
    — Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Ossoff said the Israeli military has violated international standards of warfare in Gaza but avoided the question of whether Israel is committing genocide — a charge levied by some on the Democrats’ left flank.
    — Bill Barrow, Chicago Tribune, 4 Nov. 2026
Definition of violated
Adjective
  • Headscarves are less conspicuous among women in these fashionable neighborhoods, despite compulsory hijab rules introduced after the revolution established clerical rule.
    — CBS News, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026
  • Those include whether the fast-growing ultra-Orthodox population should remain exempted from compulsory military service in a country where many families have seen their sons and daughters killed in three years of inconclusive wars.
    — Cara Anna, Chicago Tribune, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of compulsory
Adjective
  • In it, Stanford University psychologist Philip Zimbardo had 24 male college students randomly assigned to play guards or inmates in a mock prison to see how power structures could affect the behavior of ordinary people.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 29 Oct. 2026
  • Customs Air and Marine Operations agents also put on a show in Government Cut with a Blackhawk helicopter and two Customs boats chasing down agents in a mock smuggling vessel.
    — David Goodhue, Miami Herald, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of mock
Verb
  • He was acquitted at a 2019 retrial, where one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their earlier statements implicating him had been coerced by a then-homicide detective.
    — Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
  • But if one spouse was coerced into participating or the arbitrator exceeded the authority the couple had agreed to give them, a court could set the decision aside.
    — Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of coerced

Browse Nearby Words

force
forced
force-fed
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Cite this Entry

“Forced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forced. Accessed 8 Nov. 2026.

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