1
as in compelling
having the power to persuade
made a very forceful argument against going to war
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in aggressive
marked by or uttered with forcefulness
kept asking until I gave a very forceful and blunt "no"
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in strong
not showing weakness or uncertainty
took a forceful stand on the highly controversial issue
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4
as in influential
having power over the minds or behavior of others
a forceful speaker whose words moved the audience to tears
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in effectiveness
the capacity to persuade
the forcefulness of his argument is indisputable
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in impact
the quality of an utterance that provokes interest and produces an effect
delivered the punch line with appropriate forcefulness
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3
as in intensity
the quality or state of being forceful (as in expression)
her clenched teeth only added to the forcefulness of her words
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of forceful
Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The town quickly passed a forceful resolution opposing the conversion and publicly criticized ICE for failing to inform local officials of the move.
—Eric Westervelt, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
Josh Yohe, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Michael is stunned by the usually reclusive Creed's sudden forcefulness.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forceful
Adjective
Other ethnic groups in the delta, having been subject to violence at the hands of the government soldiers and having witnessed the murder of the Ogoni Nine, concluded that peaceful protests did not produce results, and forceful action was the only way to make the government listen.
—Noo Saro-Wiwa, The Dial, 24 Mar. 2026
The town quickly passed a forceful resolution opposing the conversion and publicly criticized ICE for failing to inform local officials of the move.
—Eric Westervelt, NPR, 23 Mar. 2026
Noun
While most players publicly say they don’t wish to be traded, there was a forcefulness in Rust’s tone when the topic would arise.
—Josh Yohe, New York Times, 26 Feb. 2026
Michael is stunned by the usually reclusive Creed's sudden forcefulness.
—Ryan Coleman, Entertainment Weekly, 16 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for forceful
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forceful
Adjective
-
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.—
Escher Walcott,
PEOPLE,
4 Apr. 2026
-
Many of the most compelling growth companies today are directly enabling — or benefiting from — this transition, and several may emerge as category-defining public companies of the next decade.—
Matt Witheiler,
Fortune,
4 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Brvenik, 44, was diagnosed in 2024 with leiomyosarcoma, a rare and aggressive form of cancer.—
Max Klaver,
Miami Herald,
31 Mar. 2026
-
Your sense of self takes the lead as the Moon, presently in your sign, opposes aggressive Mars across your partnership zone.—
Tarot.com,
New York Daily News,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
The legislation has stalled amid strong pushback from critics.—
Zac Anderson,
USA Today,
1 Apr. 2026
-
Kodai Senga got the ball for the Mets and turned in a strong performance in his season debut.—
James O'Connell,
New York Daily News,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
As ideological blocs collapsed, political scientist Samuel Huntington’s influential 1996 book Clash of Civilizations articulated a growing anxiety that globalization would harden into cultural antagonism rather than consensus.—
Daniel Birnbaum,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
-
Woods is the most influential figure in golf and has become as recognizable as any athlete in the world.—
R.J. Rico,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
The bill proposes creating a comparative effectiveness review process for prescription drugs on the Medicaid formulary.—
James Hart,
Hartford Courant,
30 Mar. 2026
-
No injuries were reported among passengers or crew, underscoring the effectiveness of both onboard procedures and ground coordination.—
Aamir Khollam,
Interesting Engineering,
30 Mar. 2026
Noun
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Outside the courtroom, the case is already having an impact — especially in South Florida's immigrant communities.—
Ivan Taylor,
CBS News,
2 Apr. 2026
-
While economic impact can be quantified and reported, community impact cannot be so easily transacted.—
Michelle Grabner,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
Noun
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Their intensity and compression of timescale require curatorial decisions to be shaped by different tempos of attention.—
Manuela Moscoso,
Artforum,
2 Apr. 2026
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This matters because mitragynine is a weak opioid, while 7OH is a much stronger opioid, which can increase the intensity of the opioid effects and lead to overdose.—
Andrew Kolodny,
The Conversation,
2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Geoff Elliott, who shares the title of producing artistic director at A Noise Within with wife Rodriguez-Elliott, doesn’t so much play Willy Loman as try on various accents, none of them remotely convincing to this native Brooklynite.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
1 Apr. 2026
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In each of these cases, a tech company outsmarted a human—or several—either by producing text convincing enough to pass the smell test, or by creating and marketing a service that convinced a writer to offload part of their labor.—
James Folta,
Literary Hub,
1 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Forceful.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forceful. Accessed 5 Apr. 2026.
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