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Impel vs Compel
Impel is very similar in meaning to compel, and often a perfect synonym, though it tends to suggest even more strongly an inner drive to do something and a greater urgency to act, especially for moral reasons. But when impel takes its noun and adjective forms, it changes slightly. So an impulse—such as "impulse buying", when you suddenly see something cool and know you've got to have it—often isn't based on anything very serious. And impulsive behavior in general, such as blurting out something stupid on the spur of the moment, is the kind of thing you're supposed to get over when you grow up.
Examples of impel in a Sentence
Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2025
To do that, SoFi must be among the small number of public companies that continues to provide upbeat forecasts – as tariff uncertainty impels many public companies to stop offering guidance.
—Peter Cohan, Forbes.com, 30 Apr. 2025
These are questions Li rarely directly poses but which the reader is inevitably impelled to ask.
—Daphne Merkin, New York Times, 18 May 2025
Powerful domestic pressures impel and constrain both countries’ foreign policy choices.
—Lee Hsien Loong, Foreign Affairs, 4 June 2020
See All Example Sentences for impel
Cite this Entry
“Impel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impel. Accessed 10 Jun. 2025.
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impel
verb
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