forcibly

adverb

as in strongly
in a vigorous and forceful manner the disruptive passenger was forcibly removed from the plane

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 forcibly Only when war between the United States and Japan broke out the next year were Japanese schools in Hawaii forcibly closed. — H.m.a. Leow, JSTOR Daily, 21 Aug. 2026 The orders have been a recurring flashpoint in these deals, with legal complaints alleging officials in Equatorial Guinea and Ghana forcibly sent third-country deportees to their home nations in violation of the orders. — Adrian Elimian, semafor.com, 19 Aug. 2026 Darrell Miller, who earlier testified here at a city council committee meeting against the Royals stadium project, was forcibly removed for interrupting to complain that speakers had surpassed their allotted time to speak. — Ben Wheeler, Kansas City Star, 18 Aug. 2026 According to investigators, deputies from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office responded to the school after school staff reported witnessing Monroe forcibly grabbing a student and dragging them by the arm. — Jennifer McRae, CBS News, 12 Aug. 2026 Investigators later observed that the employee had bruising, facial scratches and a substantial area of hair forcibly pulled from her scalp. — Desiree Anello, PEOPLE, 9 Aug. 2026 No one has been charged, Israel has not investigated his killing, and Israeli settlers continue to rampage throughout the West Bank, terrorizing and forcibly displacing Palestinians from their homes. — Kamel Musallet, Sun Sentinel, 7 Aug. 2026 Despite trying to break glass, rip through the foundation, and forcibly remove the door, something of the supernatural or at least thoroughly inhuman sort is keeping them inside. — Angelica Jade Bastién, Vulture, 7 Aug. 2026 Residents of dozens of villages have been forcibly displaced. — Ava Bambuck, CNN Money, 6 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for forcibly
  1. strongly
  2. vigorously
  3. forcefully
  4. firmly
  5. hard
  6. powerfully
  7. vehemently
  8. fiercely
Adverb
  • For the record, Duffy has strongly disclaimed any interest in the White House, which is, after all, just a bunch of boring grownups talking.
    — Jon Allsop, New Yorker, 23 Aug. 2026
  • While Mundo Deportivo later reported Balde was motivated to fight for his place, his omission from the squad now strongly indicates an exit.
    — Tom Sanderson, Forbes.com, 23 Aug. 2026
Definition of strongly
Adverb
  • Why aren’t cabinet officials or high-ranking military officers vigorously and publicly opposing them?
    — Voice of the People, New York Daily News, 20 Aug. 2026
  • But the legality of their use has been vigorously debated as a possible violation of the laws of war, and they have never been deployed at scale.
    — Simon Shuster, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of vigorously
Adverb
  • New York Lawyers for the Public Interest has made this case for more than 20 years, and the state’s evaluation underscores it more forcefully than ever.
    — Sakeena Trice, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026
  • But Juan Gonzalez, a former National Security Council senior director for the Western Hemisphere and a key architect of President Biden’s Latin America policy, told me that speaking more forcefully and having more influence are two different things.
    — Daniel Castro, New Yorker, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of forcefully
Adverb
  • Puka’s possible suspension combined with his tender groin pushes Chase firmly ahead.
    — Jess Bryant, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
  • In a onetime battleground state that has shifted firmly to the right, FloridaDemocrats took dueling approaches to win statewide for the first time since 2018.
    — Teo Armus, Washington Post, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of firmly
Adverb
  • The Heat are hard-capped at the NBA first luxury-tax apron due to the machinations required to trade last month for Milwaukee Bucks forwards Giannis Antetokounmpo and Bobby Portis.
    — Ira Winderman, Sun Sentinel, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Gotham midfielder Rose Lavelle landed hard with the back of her head hitting the ground in the 31st minute.
    — Phuoc Nguyen, Chicago Tribune, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of hard
Adverb
  • At the same time, the film tells a true story that powerfully illustrates how indispensable investigative journalism is in uncovering historical crimes.
    — Leo Barraclough, Variety, 20 Aug. 2026
  • The hearing in Barrow County court is expected to begin with victims’ families and survivors, many of whom spoke powerfully at Colt’s sentencing.
    — Eric Levenson, CNN Money, 30 July 2026
Definition of powerfully
Adverb
  • Baku vehemently denied the report at the time, and stepped up its denials this week, filing a defamation lawsuit in the US District Court for the District of Delaware.
    — Brady Knox, The Washington Examiner, 19 Aug. 2026
  • Becerra vehemently pledges to do that and points to his successful record as attorney general blocking the president’s policies in court.
    — Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Aug. 2026
Definition of vehemently
Adverb
  • Reductions Many of the valuation cuts were fiercely opposed by Fritz Kaegi, the outgoing Cook County assessor.
    — Alex Nitkin, Chicago Tribune, 23 Aug. 2026
  • Emmy voters are not a sentimental bunch, and the categories are stacked and fiercely competitive.
    — Clayton Davis, Variety, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of fiercely

Browse Nearby Words

forcible
forcibly
forcing
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Forcibly.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/forcibly. Accessed 26 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of devolve

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

How to Pronounce the Trickiest Menu Items

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

Even More Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Words of the Week - Aug. 21

16 Glee-ridden Words from Schitt's Creek
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
alt-684346df967d5
Add A Letter Quiz Pick the letter that goes in the same spot in fou...
See All