Compelling — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /kəm-ˈpe-liŋ/ com·pel·ling

Meaning & Definition of Compelling

Compelling (adjective)

  1. that compels
  2. forceful
  3. demanding attention

Compelling (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. having the power to persuade

    "made a compelling argument against military intervention"

    similar: cogent, conclusive, convincing, decisive, effective, forceful, persuasive, satisfying, strong, telling
    related: authoritative, definitive, sound, valid, well-founded, important, significant, weighty, material, pertinent, relevant
    opposite: inconclusive, indecisive, ineffective, uncompelling, unconvincing, unpersuasive
    near: groundless, invalid, shaky, unfounded, unsound, inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant, immaterial, irrelevant, feeble, weak

  2. needing immediate attention

    "no compelling need to raise taxes at this time"

    similar: acute, burning, clamant, critical, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent
    related: demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding, crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death, serious, severe, vital, dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable
    opposite: noncritical, nonurgent
    near: incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, unimportant, nonthreatening, safe, stable

Compelling (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

    "public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide"

    similar: blackjacking, coercing, constraining, dragooning, driving, forcing, impelling, impressing, making, muscling, obligating, obliging, pressing, pressuring, sandbagging, twisting one's arm
    related: browbeating, bulldozing, bullying, cowing, hectoring, intimidating, blackmailing, high-pressuring, menacing, shaming, terrorizing, threatening, dragging, badgering, harassing, hounding
    near: allowing, letting, permitting, arguing, convincing, inducing, moving, persuading, prevailing (on or upon), satisfying, talking (into), winning (over)

Related Entry: Compel (verb)

Compel is a different word from Compelling. The synonyms below are for compel, not for compelling.

  1. to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

    "public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide"

    similar: blackjack, coerce, constrain, dragoon, drive, force, impel, impress, make, muscle, obligate, oblige, press, pressure, sandbag, twist one's arm
    related: browbeat, bulldoze, bully, cow, hector, intimidate, blackmail, high-pressure, menace, shame, terrorize, threaten, drag, badger, harass, hound
    near: allow, let, permit, argue, convince, induce, move, persuade, prevail (on or upon), satisfy, talk (into), win (over)

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Compelling

The most common words with a similar meaning to Compelling:

cogent, conclusive, convincing, decisive, effective, forceful, persuasive, satisfying, strong, telling, acute, burning, clamant, critical, crying, dire, emergent, exigent, imperative, imperious, importunate, instant, necessitous, pressing, urgent, blackjacking, coercing, constraining, dragooning, driving, forcing, impelling, impressing, making, muscling, obligating, obliging, pressuring, sandbagging, twisting one's arm

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Compelling

Words with the opposite meaning of Compelling:

inconclusive, indecisive, ineffective, uncompelling, unconvincing, unpersuasive, noncritical, nonurgent

Related Words for Compelling

authoritative, definitive, sound, valid, well-founded, important, significant, weighty, material, pertinent, relevant, demanding, extreme, immediate, insistent, intense, overriding, crucial, desperate, grave, life-and-death, serious, severe, vital, dangerous, explosive, hazardous, perilous, precarious, unstable

Near Antonyms of Compelling

groundless, invalid, shaky, unfounded, unsound, inconsequential, insignificant, unimportant, immaterial, irrelevant, feeble, weak, incidental, low-pressure, minor, negligible, trivial, nonthreatening, safe, stable, allowing, letting, permitting, arguing, convincing, inducing, moving, persuading, prevailing (on or upon), satisfying

Word Forms of Compelling

Derived words: compellingly (adverb)

Origin & Etymology of Compelling

from present participle of compel

First known use: 1606

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Compelling

Frequently Asked Questions about Compelling

What does "Compelling" mean?

"Compelling" means that compels. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: that compels. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Compelling"?

Other words for "Compelling" include cogent, conclusive, convincing, decisive, effective, forceful, persuasive and satisfying. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Compelling" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Compelling"?

There are 86 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Compelling". Common alternatives include cogent, conclusive, convincing, decisive, effective, forceful, persuasive, satisfying, strong and telling.

What is the opposite of "Compelling"?

Antonyms of "Compelling" include inconclusive, indecisive, ineffective, uncompelling, unconvincing, unpersuasive, noncritical and nonurgent. Near antonyms include groundless, invalid, shaky and unfounded.

How do you use "Compelling" in a sentence?

Examples of "Compelling" in a sentence: "made a compelling argument against military intervention"; "no compelling need to raise taxes at this time"; "public opinion compelled her to fire her scandal-plagued aide".

Is "Compelling" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Compelling" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

Is "Compelling" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As a C2-level word, "Compelling" is typical of Cambridge C2 Proficiency (CPE), IELTS band 8.5–9.0, TOEFL iBT 114–120, PTE Academic 85–90. Advanced words like this are also useful for the GRE, SAT, GMAT, and LSAT.

How do you pronounce "Compelling"?

"Compelling" is pronounced /kəm-ˈpe-liŋ/ and divided into syllables as com·pel·ling.