GOADED Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

goaded

verb

past tense of goad

as in urged

to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action tried to goad me into auditioning for the play

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spurred

to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object goading the horse forward into the stall

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 goaded Anthony provoked and goaded Metcalf, Wirskye said. —

Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026 In the ensuing chaos, one of those two young men takes the stage, goaded on by his friend, and soon has the audience dancing to his melodies and words. —

Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 22 May 2026 He was mocked and goaded by Callum Newman into attacking Shingo Takagi after Newman retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. —

Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026 The czar, goaded by his military advisors, mobilized the Russian army knowing that meant war. —

Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026 Trump, though never restrained, is now pure id, acting on impulse and goaded on by advisers who see an opportunity to further expand executive power. —

Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 13 Jan. 2026 Her ups and downs were a regular punch line on late-night talk shows, starting with her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985, when she was goaded into agreeing to lose 15 lbs. —

Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025 Democrats saw him as a master of dark arts, beholden to his former pals in the oil industry and a warmonger who goaded the nation to wars in Afghanistan and Iraq to help his benefactors. —

Philip Elliott, Time, 20 Nov. 2025 In one instance, Holmes alleged, Lorch goaded Holmes into a storage room and told him to climb a ladder to a lofted space to retrieve some uniforms. —

Luke Cyphers, Sportico.com, 17 Oct. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goaded

Verb

In an attempt at shoring up the currency, Prime Minister Narendra Modi last month urged citizens to pause gold purchases, conserve fuel, and avoid overseas travel.

— Priyanka Salve, CNBC, 5 June 2026
Advocates urged the Legislature to pass the ordinance after waiting for months and have long pushed for improved conditions inside the old facility.

— Ben Wheeler June 4, Kansas City Star, 4 June 2026