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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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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 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

The Lions drove to the Bengals 33 on the first series before Jordan Battle picked off Altmyer at the 25 after the pass went off the hands of wide receiver Isaac TeSlaa.

— CBS News, CBS News, 14 Aug. 2026
And high costs and risky conditions along the route had already complicated Putin’s vision – even before Russia’s war against Ukraine drove international players from its Arctic territory.

— Simone McCarthy, CNN Money, 14 Aug. 2026

Definition of drove

Verb

This compelled the company to use a Chinese AI model to defend against the onslaught.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2026
Ultimately, if the state steps in with loans, the district would be compelled to cede day-to-day management to an outside caretaker, reducing the district’s board and administration to bystanders.

— Dan Walters, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026

Definition of compelled

Verb

Nashville then moved two goals clear in the 56th minute when Cristian Espinoza sent a pass across toward the near post and Surridge converted nonchalantly with a beautiful heel flick.

— Dean Jones, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
Olivia Colman’s first standout work that moved her from sketch comedy to dramatic feature film was Paddy Considine’s Tyrannosaur.

— Damon Wise, Deadline, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of moved

Verb

Gillette Stadium, home of the New England Patriots, was forced to roll out a second artificial surface after the World Cup because its first attempt didn’t pass an independent lab test as required by the NFL and NFLPA.

— Tim Graham, New York Times, 16 Aug. 2026
The champion faced a challenging opponent, as Garry forced him to work hard for seven takedowns and inflicted some facial damage.

— Brian Mazique, Forbes.com, 16 Aug. 2026

Definition of forced

Verb

Beijing — Zhu Rongji, the steely former Chinese premier whose bold economic reforms propelled the country’s rise as a global powerhouse, has died.

— CNN Staff, CNN Money, 12 Aug. 2026
The film propelled Brigitte Bardot to international stardom and Saint-Tropez, the location of the movie, became the seductive new playground of the jet set — a reputation that still holds today.

— Kissa Castaneda, Forbes.com, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of propelled

Verb

When activated, this mode will automatically take a video and a high-quality still photo at the right moment, leveraging the phone’s image processing to crop and remove blur.

— ArsTechnica, ArsTechnica, 12 Aug. 2026
If it's not already activated, turn it on by going into Settings, General, and Keyboard, and toggle on Slide to Type.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Aug. 2026

Definition of activated

Verb

Third-base umpire Todd Tichenor obliged, and the game froze for a moment as the fresh rosin was brought in.

— Charlotte Varnes, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
If coughed up, the bond would help cover large swaths of the $7 million-a-day ticking fee Paramount Skydance is obliged to pay to WBD shareholders starting in a few weeks, plus other costs baked into the ParaBros agreement.

— Dominic Patten, Deadline, 17 Aug. 2026

Definition of obliged

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“Impelled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelled. Accessed 20 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of impelled

verb

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