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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
Charlie Campbell, Time, 17 June 2025
The language of the play moves freely from the declamatory to the profane, with some of its funniest moments occurring when fury impels a character to unleash some naughty modern vernacular.
—Charles McNulty, Los Angeles Times, 20 May 2025
Eric Arthur Blair, who took the pen name George Orwell, was impelled to write by a keen awareness of injustice and a need to expose lies.
—Sheri Linden, HollywoodReporter, 17 May 2025
But the 1933 Cuban Revolution impelled his family’s flight from the island, dashing Desi’s hopes of a legal career.
—Julia M. Klein, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 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 20 Jun. 2025.
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impel
verb
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