IMPELLING Synonyms: 120 Similar and Opposite Words

impelling 1 of 2

adjective

as in compelling

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impelling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of impel

as in driving

to set or keep in motion gasoline impels a car's engine

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in forcing

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 impelling

Verb

The bedroom selfie Flora secretly sends her the morning after is the final straw impelling Carla to file for divorce. — Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 30 Sep. 2026 This is a very forward-impelling perspective to come to. — Elizabeth Mata, Christian Science Monitor, 1 Aug. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for impelling

Adjective

If your rate is above 6%, using your extra money to aggressively pay down your debt is compelling.

— Jeanne Sahadi, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2026
Goldman said that the stock remains compelling, even after a 23% runup this year.

— Michael Bloom, CNBC, 3 Oct. 2026

Definition of compelling

Verb

In the employer market, more recent data suggest the volumes of prescriptions — which are proprietary — are driving up spending more than prices, although prices are still a factor.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026
When the Vikings regained possession Minnesota gobbled up the clock, driving the ball to the 2-yard line before ending the game with the victory formation.

— Omar Kelly, Miami Herald, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of driving

Verb

Yemen's civil war began in 2014 when the Houthis descended from their northern stronghold, capturing Sanaa and forcing the government to flee into exile in Saudi Arabia.

— AHMED AL-HAJ, Arkansas Online, 6 Oct. 2026
Aubrey Layne, Sentara’s chief administrative officer, said lower payment rates from government programs — and impending cuts to Medicaid — are forcing the hospital to play hardball with the insurers that are representing employers.

— Bob Herman, STAT, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of forcing

Adjective

Separate flights were arranged, with Machado traveling separately from some members of the group and the journalists in an effort to make her movements less conspicuous.

— Antonio María Delgado, Miami Herald, 2 Oct. 2026
Higher mortgage rates are the most conspicuous factor putting homes out of financial reach, but not the only one.

— The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of conspicuous

Verb

While Spencer Jones is still a work in progress defensively in center, Grisham certainly shouldn’t be patrolling the position for the Yankees moving forward.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 9 Oct. 2026
There were Penn parents, too, likely moving their kids into college that weekend.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of moving

Verb

In lawsuits filed last year, Chegg and PMC accused Google of abusing its monopoly power by coercing publishers into supplying content for AI Overviews for free, or risk disappearing from search results.

— Emma Roth, The Verge, 1 Oct. 2026
Playing that cat, a work camp warden coercing Hawke’s character into smuggling gold through the wilderness, is none other than Russell Crowe.

— Jack Smart, PEOPLE, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of coercing

Adjective

The runway provided a striking demonstration of electronic ink as a wearable surface.

— Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 8 Oct. 2026
One of the most influential fashion photographers of his generation, Lindbergh, who died in 2019 at the age of 74, helped usher in the era of the supermodel with his striking black-and-white portraits.

— Elsa Keslassy, Variety, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of striking

Verb

Hawaii officials had told residents to put together emergency kits, and the governor issued an emergency proclamation, activating more than 230 Hawaii National Guard members.

— ABC News, ABC News, 2 Oct. 2026
Given Serra’s representation of Shift, the work is both an object in time and a device for activating time as a correlative of space.

— Jeffrey Weiss, Artforum, 1 Oct. 2026

Definition of activating

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“Impelling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/impelling. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of impelling

adjective

verb

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