impel
impel Lexical Profile
impel Game Scores & Validity
• verb
To drive, urge, or constrain a person to do something, especially through moral obligation, emotion, or internal motivation.
"A deep sense of civic responsibility impelled her to volunteer at the local community clinic every weekend."
To drive or push something forward by physical force; to impart motion to an object or fluid.
"Powerful turbines impel the water through the narrow concrete channels of the hydroelectric dam."
Word Nuance & Usage
While "compel" implies external pressure or obligation that forces someone to act, "impel" typically suggests an internal urge, moral duty, or emotional motivation driving the action.
• Rhymes for impel
• Nearby Words
Word Origin & Etymology
Borrowed in the 15th century from Latin impellere, meaning "to push against" or "to drive forward," formed from in- ("into, upon") and pellere ("to drive, strike").