Synonyms of impelled

impelled

verb

past tense of impel

1

as in drove

to set or keep in motion

gasoline impels a car's engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

• drove
• moved
• propelled
• activated
• actuated
• stimulated
• worked
• motivated
• triggered
• provoked
• raised
• roused
• inspired
• aroused
• incited
• excited
• abetted
• whipped (up)
• stirred (up)
• set off
• instigated
• fomented
• galvanized
• fermented
• fired (up)
• tripped
• inflamed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• constrained
• contained
• controlled
• restrained
• regulated
• inhibited
• checked
• curbed
• bridled
• reined (in)

2

as in compelled

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compelled
• forced
• coerced
• obliged
• obligated
• drove
• pressured
• constrained
• pressed
• impressed
• dragooned
• intimidated
• made
• blackmailed
• muscled
• bullied
• sandbagged
• threatened
• blackjacked
• hectored
• twisted one's arm
• cowed
• browbeat
• menaced
• shamed
• dragged
• terrorized
• bulldozed
• badgered
• harassed
• hounded
• high-pressured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• let
• permitted
• allowed
• moved
• induced
• convinced
• satisfied
• argued
• won (over)
• persuaded
• talked (into)
• prevailed (on or upon)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of impelled

Sometimes the ideological passions that impelled a work into existence dissolve over time, leaving behind something that can be appreciated as art. — Vivian Yee, New York Times, 20 June 2026

That emotional closeness was one of the driving forces that impelled me to bring this project to the screen in an exercise of deep respect for a complex memory that does not lend itself to simplification. — Roberto Prieto, Variety, 19 June 2026

Both were impelled to launch ninth-inning pushes to persuade Oscar voters that Shakespeare wasn’t really in love and Private Ryan needed serious saving. — Peter Bart, Deadline, 8 Jan. 2026

Daniel’s commercial failure as a novelist impelled him to move to Los Angeles to try writing for the movies. — David Kamp, New Yorker, 4 Oct. 2025

While the recent protests were sparked by the social media ban, protesters said that they had been impelled by years of government corruption and failure to provide young people with economic opportunities. — Alia Shoaib, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025

While Elijah had consistently depended on God up to that point, great fear impelled him to run far into the wilderness. — Cheryl Ranson, Christian Science Monitor, 6 Aug. 2025