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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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 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 Our purpose in glorifying Him – our responsiveness to Him – is as God-impelled and empowered as is His responsibility to us. — Judith Hardy Olson, Christian Science Monitor, 10 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

In the 1970s, Khouri, who went on to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Thelma & Louise, drove past the Tudor-style house almost every day.

— Caroline Randall Williams, Architectural Digest, 27 Aug. 2026
The next day, David drove back to Altadena while Lauren took the girls to Target to buy toothbrushes and underwear.

— Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of drove

Verb

Management also gave positive forward-looking guidance, marked by a record current quarter pipeline that compelled it to raise its full-year top-line growth forecast.

— Paulina Likos, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2026
If she were truly compelled by a voice, Sprague said, Clancy would have succeeded.

— Sumiko Corley, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of compelled

Verb

Cameron moved up to the division earlier this year and defeated Michaela Kotaskova by unanimous decision in April to claim the vacant WBO title and become a two-weight world champion.

— Amelie Claydon, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Ragged, jagged or fluffy edges point to a Bristol Type 6 stool, meaning waste moved through the colon too fast for water to be absorbed properly.

— Hanna Wickes, Sacbee.com, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of moved

Verb

As more cars wrecked behind the incident, NASCAR was forced to throw the caution flag — freezing the field with Preece in front.

— Jeff Gluck, New York Times, 30 Aug. 2026
Sometimes, operators were forced to drain one pond and divert its water to save fish in another, the Hungarian Aquaculture and Fisheries Inter-branch Organization said in early August.

— ABC News, ABC News, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of forced

Verb

The telescope will get off the ground and be propelled into space from the historic Launch Complex 39A – the site of many Apollo moon mission launches – at NASA’s Kennedy Space Center near Cape Canaveral, Florida.

— Eric Lagatta, USA Today, 26 Aug. 2026
Her immense musical talent guaranteed her top-tier standing in country music and propelled her into a level of mainstream success that only a handful of her peers would match.

— Ann Powers, NPR, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of propelled

Verb

The inspection followed a hunger strike by detainees, who in a letter, complained about rotten or worm-infested food, medical neglect, and being coerced into signing deportation orders.

— Vanessa Romo, NPR, 20 Aug. 2026
In 1963, the Supreme Court banned confessions given under scopolamine and other truth-inducers as unconstitutionally coerced.

— Mattha Busby, Rolling Stone, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of coerced

Verb

The feature is only available when a driver has activated Uber’s Record My Ride feature and enabled live streaming, according to information Uber provided to Mashable.

— Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 27 Aug. 2026
The sight had activated an ancient and superstitious circuit in my brain that insisted the sun simply shouldn't look this way.

— Anthony Wood, Space.com, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of activated

Verb

This tweak doubles the amount of time a player is obliged to wait on the sidelines from 30 seconds to one minute.

— Graham Scott, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2026
There’s also a June 4 deadline for the expiration of a deal, with Paramount obliged to pay a $7 billion termination fee.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of obliged

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“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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verb

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