forcible
Americanadjective
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done or effected by force.
forcible entry into a house.
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producing a powerful effect; having force; effective.
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convincing, as reasoning.
a forcible theory.
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characterized by the use of force or violence.
adjective
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done by, involving, or having force
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convincing or effective
a forcible argument
Other Word Forms
- forcibility noun
- forcibleness noun
- forcibly adverb
- unforcible adjective
- unforcibleness noun
Etymology
Origin of forcible
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Middle French; force, -ible
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.
Its survival and growth since the forcible closure of its Beijing mother church in 2018 only adds embarrassment to alarm.
From The Wall Street Journal • Nov. 20, 2025
The mayor denounced the forcible removal of Sen. Alex Padilla from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s press conference earlier in the day.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 13, 2025
This was the year Japan passed landmark laws to redefine rape from "forcible sexual intercourse" to "non-consensual sexual intercourse" and raised the age of consent from 13 to 16.
From BBC • Feb. 27, 2025
Judge John Kane in Pennsylvania condemned as insurrectionists those who “counsel and instigate others to acts of forcible oppugnation to the provisions of a statute.”
From Slate • Feb. 8, 2024
The forcible recalling was simply an unpleasant memory.
From "East of Eden" by John Steinbeck
Definitions 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.
