compelling

[kuh m-pel-ing]

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compelling ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

tending to compel, as to force or push toward a course of action; overpowering: There were compelling reasons for their divorce.

having a powerful and irresistible effect; requiring acute admiration, attention, or respect: a man of compelling integrity; a compelling drama.

Nearby words

Origin of compelling

First recorded in 1490–1500; compel + -ing²

Related formsun·com·pel·ling, adjective

compel

[kuhm-pel]

verb (used with object), com·pelled, com·pel·ling.

to force or drive, especially to a course of action: His disregard of the rules compels us to dismiss him.

to secure or bring about by force.

to force to submit; subdue.

to overpower.

Archaic. to drive together; unite by force; herd.

verb (used without object), com·pelled, com·pel·ling.

to use force.

to have a powerful and irresistible effect, influence, etc.

Origin of compel

1350–1400; Middle English compellen (< Anglo-French) < Latin compellere to crowd, force, equivalent to com- com- + pellere to push, drive

SYNONYMS FOR compel

1. constrain, oblige, coerce. 3. overpower, bend.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compel ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

com·pel·la·ble, adjectivecom·pel·la·bly, adverbcom·pel·lent, adjectivecom·pel·ler, noun

com·pel·ling·ly, adverbpre·com·pel, verb (used with object), pre·com·pelled, pre·com·pel·ling.un·com·pel·la·ble, adjectiveun·com·pelled, adjective

Can be confusedcoerce compel constrain force obligecompel impel (see synonym study at the current entry)

Synonym study

3. Compel, impel agree in the idea of using physical or other force to cause something to be done. Compel means to constrain someone, in some way, to yield or to do what one wishes: to compel a recalcitrant debtor to pay; Fate compels us to face danger and trouble. Impel may mean literally to push forward, but is usually applied figuratively, meaning to provide a strong motive or incentive toward a certain end: Wind impels a ship. Curiosity impels me to ask.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for compelling

I think a certain kind of compelling essay has a piece of that.
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And some of the most compelling statements came from a powerful, crucial set of equality allies: corporations.
Corporations Are No Longer Silent on LGBT Issues||December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
On Thursday, Detective Superintendent McDonald described his account as “harrowing” and compelling.
Victim: I Watched British MPs Rape and Murder Young Boys|Nico Hines|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The refugee stories are compelling at first, but horrific details are numbing.
Inside the Smuggling Networks Flooding Europe with Refugees|Barbie Latza Nadeau|December 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST

And those moments of full control are among the least compelling.
‘Game of Thrones’ Interactive FanFiction: Whoops, My Friend Was Speared in the Throat|Alec Kubas-Meyer|December 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In cellars near the river the tide rose and fell, compelling the tenants "to keep the children in bed till ebb-tide."
The Battle with the Slum|Jacob A. Riis.
These demonstrations were made for the twofold object of harassing the enemy and compelling him to disclose his dispositions.
The 28th: A Record of War Service in the Australian Imperial Force, 1915-19, Vol. I|Herbert Brayley Collett
Take these cities separately and their personality becomes the more pertinent and compelling.
The Personality of American Cities|Edward Hungerford
Canon Law gave to the husband the power of compelling the wifes return if, for any cause, she left him.
Woman, Church & State|Matilda Joslyn Gage
He was a tawny giant, exuding a force and virility and a compelling magnetism that gripped one instantly.
Square Deal Sanderson|Charles Alden Seltzer

British Dictionary definitions for compelling

compelling

adjective

arousing or denoting strong interest, esp admiring interest

(of an argument, evidence, etc) convincing

compel

verb -pels, -pelling or -pelled (tr)

to cause (someone) by force (to be or do something)

to obtain by force; exactto compel obedience

to overpower or subdue

archaic to herd or drive together

Derived Formscompellable, adjectivecompellably, adverbcompeller, noun

Word Origin for compel

C14: from Latin compellere to drive together, from com- together + pellere to drive

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for compelling

compelling

adj.

c.1600, present participle adjective from compel. Meaning "irresistible" is from 1901. Related: Compellingly.

compel

mid-14c., from Old French compellir, from Latin compellere "to drive together, drive to one place" (of cattle), "to force or compel" (of persons), from com- "together" (see com-) + pellere "to drive" (see pulse (n.1)). Related: Compelled; compelling.

compelling

adjective

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of compelling

compel

verb (used with object), com·pelled, com·pel·ling.

verb (used without object), com·pelled, com·pel·ling.

Origin of compel

Synonym study

Examples from the Web for compelling

compelling

adjective

compel

verb -pels, -pelling or -pelled (tr)

Word Origin for compel

compelling

compel