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; see 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.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that a forcible U.S. annexation of an ally’s territory would be the end of NATO.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 18, 2026
The convention also prohibits the forcible transfer of entire populations from occupied territories.
From BBC • Apr. 11, 2025
Since 2014, Oakland has barred officers from pursuing suspects who are not armed with a gun or involved in a forcible or violent crime.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 14, 2024
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 Reichstag, the German parliament, had passed a Peace Resolution, calling for “a peace of understanding and the permanent reconciliation of peoples without the forcible acquisition of territory.”
From "The War to End All Wars: World War I" by Russell Freedman
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.
