compelling

[ kuhm-pel-ing ]

/ kəmˈpɛl ɪŋ /

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See 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.

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Origin of compelling

First recorded in 1490–1500; compel + -ing²

OTHER WORDS FROM compelling

un·com·pel·ling, adjective

Words nearby compelling

compd., compeer, compel, compellation, compelled, compelling, compendious, compendium, compensable, compensate, compensated grade

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compelling in a sentence

In terms of founder characteristics, in my opinion, the best founders will be mission driven, able to tell a compelling story, and motivate others to join them.
Does early-stage health tech need more ‘patient’ capital?|Steve O'Hear|September 17, 2020|TechCrunch
Joe Jackman, CEO of Jackman said that for leaders, the key to successful reinvention is being able to make a clear, compelling case for change.
Deep Dive: How the Summer of 2020 forced brand marketing to change for the better|jim cooper|September 14, 2020|Digiday
What this means, at least in the abstract, is that marketers still might be able to reach or access the data of roughly 60% of iPhone owners if their opt-in pitches are compelling.
Apple IDFA consent: Roughly 60% of consumers open to allowing tracking|Greg Sterling|September 11, 2020|Search Engine Land
To imagine a world so compelling you don’t want to wake up—not until the dreamworld becomes reality.
Solarpunk Is Growing a Gorgeous New World in the Cracks of the Old One|Carin Ism|September 6, 2020|Singularity Hub

That was a story that really caught our eye, so we went down to Kansas City to meet some of these women, and their stories were very, very compelling.
“People want to believe”: How Love Fraud builds an absorbing docuseries around a romantic con man|Alissa Wilkinson|September 4, 2020|Vox
The precision it took to craft such a cohesive, wholly compelling work over 12 years is nothing short of remarkable.
Oscars 2015: The Daily Beast’s Picks, From Scarlett Johansson to ‘Boyhood’|Marlow Stern|January 6, 2015|DAILY BEAST
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
The impulse to interpret seems to me what makes personal essay writing compelling.
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
And since visual media is more compelling than any other medium, it is consistently their drug of choice.
North Korea’s Secret Movie Bootleggers: How Western Films Make It Into the Hermit Kingdom|Lizzie Crocker|December 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Taking half a dozen men with him, and compelling the woman to act as guide, he went to the tomb in the dark.
The Red Year|Louis Tracy
The leaguers were now anxious to co-operate with the Americans in compelling the Spaniards to evacuate the Archipelago.
The Philippine Islands|John Foreman
He repudiated his oath at Carlisle as extorted by force and intimidation, and professed a compelling sense of patriotism.
King Robert the Bruce|A. F. Murison
He too had the sense of adventure, and his eyes were more than usually compelling and his voice more seductive.
The Joyous Adventures of Aristide Pujol|William J. Locke
The will to live leaps into being peremptorily, more compelling and imperative at the implied challenge.
Prison Memoirs of an Anarchist|Alexander Berkman

British Dictionary definitions for compelling

compelling

/ (kəmˈpɛlɪŋ) /

adjective

arousing or denoting strong interest, esp admiring interest

(of an argument, evidence, etc) convincing

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

compelling

Origin of compelling

OTHER WORDS FROM compelling

Words nearby compelling

Words related to compelling

How to use compelling in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for compelling