compelling

Share on Facebook Share on Twitter Email
Top
(kəm-pĕl'ĭng) pronunciation
adj.
  1. Urgently requiring attention: a host of compelling socioeconomic problems.
  2. Drivingly forceful: compelling ambition and egotism.

Fowler's Modern English Usage:

compelling, compulsive

Top

Both words involve a sense of strong urging and are derived from Latin compellere meaning 'to drive on'. An activity or habit that is compulsive affects an individual in a way they cannot control (a near synonym is addictive):
Franklin was...a compulsive composer of lists and instructions—New York Metro, 2004.
Compelling is used of arguments and information that is convincing or effective (the synonym here is persuasive). So when a newspaper television review described a historical programme as being on the receiving end of the BBC's compulsive docudrama treatment, the word needed was compelling, since the programme was presumably well-presented and persuasive rather than addictive.

Previous:compass points, comparison, compare with, compare to
Next:compendium, competence, competency, complacent, complaisant
Top

adj

Definition: convincing
Antonyms: weak

adj

Definition: enthralling
Antonyms: boring

Word Tutor:

compelling

Top
pronunciation

IN BRIEF: To move someone to act.

pronunciation The defendant's plea was very compelling to the judge.

LearnThatWord.com is a free vocabulary and spelling program where you only pay for results!

Random House Word Menu:

categories related to 'compelling'

Top
Random House Word Menu by Stephen Glazier
For a list of words related to compelling, see:

Translations:

Compelling

Top

Dansk (Danish)
adj. - tvingende, overbevisende, magtfuld, som kræver undersøgelse

Nederlands (Dutch)
meeslepend

Français (French)
adj. - irrésistible, prenant

Deutsch (German)
adj. - zwingend, bezwingend

Ελληνική (Greek)
adj. - επιβλητικός, συναρπαστικός, ακαταμάχητος, επιτακτικός

Italiano (Italian)
convincente, appassionante, entusiasmante, determinante

Português (Portuguese)
adj. - constrangedor

Русский (Russian)
захватывающий

Español (Spanish)
adj. - apremiante, obligatorio, irresistible, fuerte

Svenska (Swedish)
adj. - tvingande, auktoritativ, som kräver undersökning, fängslande, övertygande

中文(简体)(Chinese (Simplified))
强制的, 令人注目的, 强迫性的

中文(繁體)(Chinese (Traditional))
adj. - 強制的, 令人注目的, 強迫性的

한국어 (Korean)
adj. - 강제적인, 감탄하지 않을 수 없는

日本語 (Japanese)
adj. - 強制的な

العربيه (Arabic)
‏(صفه) اضطراري, قهري, مفحم, مقنع‏

עברית (Hebrew)
adj. - ‮מרתק, מאלץ‬


Post a question - any question - to the WikiAnswers community:

Copyrights:

Mentioned in

Joy Sings the Blues (1988 Album by Carol Joy Robins)
Divine Punishment (1986 Album by Diamanda Galas)