IMPELLED Synonyms: 80 Similar and Opposite Words

impelled

verb

past tense of impel

as in drove

to set or keep in motion gasoline impels a car's engine

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in compelled

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be

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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 impelled Some fifteen years later, her determination to study Schubert lieder with expert teachers was in large part what impelled her to go to Europe. — Literary Hub, 10 Sep. 2026 Despite the challenges, many candidates are impelled by the desire to steer political discourse toward civility and issues that matter most to ordinary citizens. — The Christian Science Monitor, Christian Science Monitor, 27 Aug. 2026 His experience impelled him to join an informal yet determined community of researchers, doctors, and patients pushing for extra studies to help patients and doctors find the right dosage for an array of cancer drugs. — CNN Money, 19 Aug. 2026 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

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impelled

Verb

These events fleshed out the world and presented Godzilla Minus Zero with a lot of elements that drove the story forward.

— Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 5 Nov. 2026
In June 1981, Nissensohn picked up 14-year-old Tanya Jones and 13-year-old Tammy Jarschke, who had run away from a Seaside foster home, and drove them from a Denny’s restaurant in Monterey County to a remote area in Los Padres National Forest.

— Michael McGough, Sacbee.com, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of drove

Verb

Doncic said there has always been something in him that compelled him to establish connections with fans.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 23 Oct. 2026
From the classic ‘Whodunit’ style to thrilling neonoirs, mystery novels have compelled readers to solve cases alongside detectives like Hercule Poirot.

— Theara Coleman, TheWeek, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of compelled

Verb

West initially imagined his look through the imagery of the early papacy—particularly the period when the papal court moved from Rome to Avignon.

— Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 5 Nov. 2026
Two years after their wedding, the pair moved from their Kansas hometown to Nashville so Martina could pursue a music career.

— Georgia Slater, PEOPLE, 5 Nov. 2026

Definition of moved

Verb

Earlier this fall, a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder case forced the judge to declare a mistrial.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave, the biggest of the group, has seen the spread on its credit default swaps soar past 11%, as investors are forced to pay up for insurance against default.

— Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of forced

Verb

The physical sales propelled the album to the top of the charts.

— Maya Georgi, Rolling Stone, 1 Nov. 2026
Piker’s popularity among young left-leaning voters has propelled him beyond the internet and into the national spotlight as a prominent voice on the American left.

— Jennah Pendleton, Sacbee.com, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of propelled

Verb

He was acquitted at a 2019 retrial, where one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their earlier statements implicating him had been coerced by a then-homicide detective.

— Adam Sabes, FOXNews.com, 2 Nov. 2026
But if one spouse was coerced into participating or the arbitrator exceeded the authority the couple had agreed to give them, a court could set the decision aside.

— Asma Uddin, The Conversation, 29 Oct. 2026

Definition of coerced

Verb

Ultrasound activated the material to generate reactive oxygen species, producing antibacterial effects in laboratory experiments alongside tooth whitening.

— Mike McRae, New Atlas, 4 Nov. 2026
Another officer activated a Taser's electrical arc, but the donkey continued toward him, getting approximately an arm's length away before Garner fired once.

— Christopher Harris, CBS News, 4 Nov. 2026

Definition of activated

Verb

Returning to the table, Walzer said that a legal scholar had recently used the jus ex bello doctrine in an op-ed to argue that the war had become so costly to Ukrainians that their government was now obliged to make concessions to stop the fighting.

— Jordi Graupera, New Yorker, 22 Oct. 2026
That should come as no surprise; NASA is, after all, part of the executive branch, and the agency is obliged to abide by executive orders.

— Josh Dinner, Space.com, 16 Oct. 2026

Definition of obliged

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“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 6 Nov. 2026.

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verb

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