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
Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
Delta said the disruption forced it to cancel more than 5,000 flights and cost it more than $500 million in revenue and compensation for passengers, among other expenses.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 20 Oct. 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
But as researchers have discovered more moonlike objects in our solar system—including 128 moons orbiting Saturn just this year—our concept of what counts as a moon has been forced to expand.
—Lila Shroff, The Atlantic, 27 Oct. 2025
Delta said the disruption forced it to cancel more than 5,000 flights and cost it more than $500 million in revenue and compensation for passengers, among other expenses.
—Leslie Josephs, CNBC, 20 Oct. 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
-
The relationship between the longtime allies remains strained.—
Andrew Stanton,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Oct. 2025
-
The deal, which will likely be finalized when the leaders of the two global superpowers meet this week, is expected to include a break for farmers — particularly soybean farmers, who have been hit hard by the strained trade relationship.—
Auzinea Bacon,
CNN Money,
26 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
-
The problem arises when implicit or explicit pressures make either covering or uncovering feel compulsory—so the aim is to restore agency, letting employees decide for themselves without penalty.—
Tia Katz,
Forbes.com,
18 Sep. 2025
-
The campaign faces a tight deadline, but veto referendums have been successful in Missouri as recently as 2017, when labor unions successfully organized to defeat a right-to-work law that would have banned compulsory union fees.—
Kacen Bayless,
Kansas City Star,
16 Sep. 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
-
This is the real danger for the NBA—players who get coerced into trying to rig games.—
Scott Soshnick,
Sportico.com,
28 Oct. 2025
-
The retail giant agreed to the settlement to resolve an antitrust lawsuit filed by the FTC in 2023, in which federal officials alleged that Amazon coerced millions of consumers into enrolling in Prime subscriptions and then made those agreements extremely difficult to cancel.—
Paige Moore,
AZCentral.com,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Forced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forced. Accessed 2 Nov. 2025.
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