compelled

[ kuhm-peld ]

adjective

1. secured or brought about by force:

   Statements made in a compelled interview may not be used in a criminal proceeding.

2. forced or driven to a particular course of action, often by an irresistible internal urge:

   I haven't felt so compelled to learn as much as I can about something since my fascination with Slavic folk music!

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of compel ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·com·pelled adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of compelled¹

compel ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

This was a breakthrough moment for Arteaga, who felt compelled to sign up every summer thereafter.

From Los Angeles Times

Perhaps more than an actor raised outside of Belfast, Petticrew was able to understand on a visceral level what compelled Dolours to commit acts of terrorism.

From Los Angeles Times

Once the officer found the outstanding warrant, he cuffed Nelly’s hands behind his back and, Rosenblum said, “felt compelled” to “parade him through the casino in front of other customers.”

From Los Angeles Times

"No one should be compelled, for example, to take part in assisted dying if they've got moral or ethical objections as clinicians. That certainly would be one of my red lines".

From BBC

Harris compelled her supporters to keep up the fight for reproductive justice and gun control, among other issues.

From Salon

Related Words

• afraid
• averse
• evasive
• forced
• loath
• reluctant
• resistant
• unenthusiastic