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

Lawmakers and advocates urged assemblymembers Monday to pass a bill that would formalize data collection for frontotemporal degeneration.

— Sofia Williams, Sacbee.com, 4 Aug. 2026
As International Allyship Day approaches, organizations are urged to embed inclusion as a continuous cultural heartbeat, moving beyond performative gestures.

— Julie Kratz, Forbes.com, 4 Aug. 2026

Definition of urged

Verb

That effort was spurred by what union members claim were execrable working conditions to which they were subjected during the recent heat wave that gripped London.

— News Desk, Artforum, 30 July 2026
Pragiwaksono’s arrival in America spurred something of a comedic identity crisis.

— Ethan Shanfeld, Variety, 30 July 2026

Definition of spurred

Verb

More than 48 hours later, the team hasn’t released any MRI results and Bader has declined to provide public comments, despite being encouraged by the club to talk to reporters or make a statement.

— Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 31 July 2026
Cruz and Bardem have always encouraged their children’s creative pursuits.

— Carlos Aguilar, Los Angeles Times, 31 July 2026

Definition of encouraged

Verb

There was the guy Daemon stabbed through the ear, and then the smelly killers Gwayne sniffed out, and now Ser Adrian, who took a knife to the throat within seconds of seeing Aemond.

— Brian Grubb, Vulture, 3 Aug. 2026
Prosecutors argued the evidence supported a murder conviction, with Deputy Prosecutor Scott Bell telling jurors Ramsey stabbed Holder 38 times and the infant 17 times inside their Ewa Beach apartment, according to the Star-Advertiser.

— Christina Coulter, PEOPLE, 3 Aug. 2026

Definition of stabbed

Verb

Yes, Governor Kazuo Ueda nudged rates to a 31‑year high of 1% in mid‑June.

— William Pesek, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026
No team has embraced the Rubik’s Cube nature of the three-team trade like the Rays, who have nudged their way into five of the past six three-way swaps.

— Stephen J. Nesbitt, New York Times, 23 July 2026

Definition of nudged

Verb

And along with the documentary, you get prodded into recall again.

— Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 28 July 2026
On cross-examination, defense attorney Blair Berk prodded Wallace to admit that her chemical analysis — done months after prosecutors believe Burke turned his garage into an abattoir — did not definitively prove the presence of blood.

— Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 22 July 2026

Definition of prodded

Verb

Offering a clever twist, the warm cake is poked with the handle of a wooden spoon, creating space for a vanilla-pineapple pudding to sink deep into the crumb.

— Erin Merhar, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2026
Let sit at room temperature until buns are puffed and expanded to edges of muffin cups (dough will spring back when poked but hold a slight indentation), 25–35 minutes.

— Claire Saffitz, Bon Appetit Magazine, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of poked

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goad

goaded

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“Goaded.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/goaded. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of goaded

verb

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