adjective
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powerful
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persuasive or effective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of forceful
Explanation
Something forceful is strong and firm. A politician's forceful speech is self-assured and energetic, and it makes the audience sit up and take notice. One meaning of forceful is all about physical strength: "The forceful throw carried the football past the goalposts." Another way to be forceful is to be emphatic or vehement: "The child's forceful refusal to go to bed could not be ignored by the sleepy babysitter." Forceful literally means "full of force," and force comes from the Latin fortis, "strong, firm, or steadfast."
Vocabulary lists containing forceful
Stay Strong: Forc and Fort
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ACT Reading Test: Words to Capture Tone, List 5
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Vigorous Vocab: Synonyms for "Strong"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He found an ally, a forceful supervising nurse, Aisha Ragab, who had run from the war herself, back in 2018.
From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026
Stepping into the band’s lead guitarist role was Nick Johnston, a forceful presence delivering crisp musical phrases that could be fittingly elegant or snarling.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026
When I pressed him on how the anniversary had been weaponized against him, he finally became more forceful.
From Slate ● Sep. 17, 2026
“The most forceful counter,” he added, may be a greater focus on buybacks.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
Sometimes, in the days after a birth, I detected in her something of Judy’s heavy presence, in a forceful turn of her head, or the imperious arch of an eyebrow.
From "Educated" by Tara Westover
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Get a wordDefinitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
