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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
Paul Laudicina, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025
Creating Equitable Opportunities For Learners Everywhere The intersection of technology and education is one of the most compelling areas to impel social and economic development.
—Haroldo Jacobovicz, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025
Wayne Cornelius, an immigration scholar at the University of California, San Diego, has found that bleak job prospects are most likely to impel undocumented immigrants to leave.
—Miriam Jordan, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
That didn’t impel the NFL to change the overtime rule, which at the time said a game ends if a team scores a touchdown in the extra period.
—Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 27 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for impel
Cite this Entry
“Impel.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/impel. Accessed 23 Apr. 2025.
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impel
verb
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