impelling 1 of 2

adjective

as in compelling

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

impelling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of impel
1
as in driving
to set or keep in motion gasoline impels a car's engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in forcing
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure I felt impelled to tell the truth, however painful it might be

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 impelling
Verb
The bedroom selfie Flora secretly sends her the morning after is the final straw impelling Carla to file for divorce. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 This is a very forward-impelling perspective to come to. — Elizabeth Mata, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for impelling
  1. compelling
  2. driving
  3. forcing
  4. conspicuous
  5. moving
  6. coercing
  7. striking
  8. activating
Adjective
  • If your rate is above 6%, using your extra money to aggressively pay down your debt is compelling.
    — Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
  • Goldman said that the stock remains compelling, even after a 23% runup this year.
    — Michael Bloom, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026
Definition of compelling
Verb
  • In the employer market, more recent data suggest the volumes of prescriptions — which are proprietary — are driving up spending more than prices, although prices are still a factor.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
  • When the Vikings regained possession Minnesota gobbled up the clock, driving the ball to the 2-yard line before ending the game with the victory formation.
    — Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026
Definition of driving
Verb
  • Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis descended from their northern stronghold, capturing Sanaa and forcing the government to flee into exile in Saudi Arabia.
    — AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
  • Aubrey Layne, Sentara’s chief administrative officer, said lower payment rates from government programs — and impending cuts to Medicaid — are forcing the hospital to play hardball with the insurers that are representing employers.
    — Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
Definition of forcing
Adjective
  • Among the more obvious problems of both Ready to Wear and catwalk is the conspicuous absence of a story.
    — Charles Gandee, Vogue, 27 Sep. 2026
  • The result, beyond being a lie, is often cheap, garish, and conspicuous.
    — Frank Landymore, Futurism, 23 Sep. 2026
Definition of conspicuous
Verb
  • The seconds-long loop consists of a purple image of a tank silhouette moving rapidly across the picture plane and patterned with what resemble dithered approximations of analog video interference.
    — Simon Denny, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • The planning is meant to create flexibility for the president and commanders overseeing the war, these people said, by moving up to three aircraft carriers and their escort ships into the region in November.
    — Dan Lamothe, Washington Post, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of moving
Verb
  • Playing that cat, a work camp warden coercing Hawke’s character into smuggling gold through the wilderness, is none other than Russell Crowe.
    — Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026
  • But in the past, these efforts were largely aimed at threatening or coercing Washington to act in their favor.
    — Dina Esfandiary, Foreign Affairs, 27 Aug. 2026
Definition of coercing
Adjective
  • The most striking aspect of his work lies in its ability to make these activities converge.
    — Barry Schwabsky, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps the most striking styles in the lineup stood on curvaceous, sculptural heels resembling slithering snakes.
    — Jaden Thompson, Footwear News, 30 Sep. 2026
Definition of striking
Verb
  • Hawaii officials had told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
  • Given Serra’s representation of Shift, the work is both an object in time and a device for activating time as a correlative of space.
    — Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of activating

Browse Nearby Words

impelled
impelling
impels
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Impelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelling. Accessed 7 Oct. 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 discreet

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

Do You Need a New Language Peeve?

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
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
name tags
Words Named After People Quiz Find out who’s behind "leotard," "morphine," an...
See All