different between inspire vs compel

English

Etymology

From Middle English inspiren, enspiren, from Old French inspirer, variant of espirer, from Latin ?nsp?r?re, present active infinitive of ?nsp?r? (“inspire”), itself a loan-translation of Biblical Ancient Greek ???? (pné?, “breathe”), from in + sp?r? (“breathe”).

Pronunciation

• (General American) IPA^(key): /?n.?spa??/
• (Received Pronunciation) IPA^(key): /?n.?spa??(?)/
• Rhymes: -a??(?)

Verb

inspire (third-person singular simple present inspires, present participle inspiring, simple past and past participle inspired)

1. (transitive) To infuse into the mind; to communicate to the spirit; to convey, as by a divine or supernatural influence; to disclose preternaturally; to produce in, as by inspiration.
   • c. 1588-1593, William Shakespeare, Titus Andronicus

     Dawning day new comfort hath inspired.
2. (transitive) To infuse into; to affect, as with a superior or supernatural influence; to fill with what animates, enlivens or exalts; to communicate inspiration to.

   Elders should inspire children with sentiments of virtue.

   • Erato, thy poet's mind inspire, / And fill his soul with thy celestial fire.

3. (intransitive) To draw in by the operation of breathing; to inhale.
   • c. 1670, Gideon Harvey, Morbus Anglicus", Or a Theoretick and Practical Discourse of Consumptions and Hypochondriack Melancholy... Likewise a Discourse of Spitting of Blood

     By means of those sulfurous coal smokes the lungs are as it were stifled and extremely oppressed, whereby they are forced to inspire and expire the air with difficulty.

4. To infuse by breathing, or as if by breathing.
5. (archaic, transitive) To breathe into; to fill with the breath; to animate.
6. (transitive) To spread rumour indirectly.

Conjugation

Synonyms

• beghast

Antonyms

• (inhale): expire

Derived terms

• inspirer

Related terms

• inspiration
• inspirational
• inspirator
• inspiratory

Translations

Anagrams

• spinier

Asturian

Verb

inspire

1. first/third-person singular present subjunctive of inspirar

French

Verb

inspire

1. inflection of inspirer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Portuguese

Verb

inspire

1. First-person singular (eu) present subjunctive of inspirar
2. Third-person singular (ele, ela, also used with tu and você^?) present subjunctive of inspirar
3. Third-person singular (você) affirmative imperative of inspirar
4. Third-person singular (você) negative imperative of inspirar

Romanian

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [in?spire]

Verb

inspire

1. third-person singular present subjunctive of inspira
2. third-person plural present subjunctive of inspira

Spanish

Verb

inspire

1. First-person singular (yo) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
2. Formal second-person singular (usted) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
3. Third-person singular (él, ella, also used with usted^?) present subjunctive form of inspirar.
4. Formal second-person singular (usted) imperative form of inspirar.

English

Etymology

From Middle English compellen, borrowed from Middle French compellir, from Latin compellere, itself from com- (“together”) + pellere (“to drive”). Displaced native Middle English fordriven ("to drive out, to lead to, to compel, to force"), from Old English fordr?fan. More at fordrive.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /k?m?p?l/
• Rhymes: -?l
• Hyphenation: com?pel

Verb

compel (third-person singular simple present compels, present participle compelling, simple past and past participle compelled)

1. (transitive, archaic, literally) To drive together, round up (Can we add an example for this sense?)
2. (transitive) To overpower; to subdue.
3. (transitive) To force, constrain or coerce.

   Logic compels the wise, while fools feel compelled by emotions.

   • 1600, William Shakespeare, Julius Caesar, act 5, scene 1,

     Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.

   • 1827, Henry Hallam, The Constitutional History of England

     Wolsey […] compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.

4. (transitive) To exact, extort, (make) produce by force.
5. (obsolete) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.

   • Easy sleep their weary limbs compell'd.

   • ?, Alfred Tennyson, Geraint and Enid

     I compel all creatures to my will.

6. (obsolete) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.

   • in one troop compell'd

7. (obsolete) To call forth; to summon.

Derived terms

Related terms

• compulsion

Translations

References

• compel in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913.
• “compel” in Dictionary.com Unabridged, Dictionary.com, LLC, 1995–present.
• Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary, 1987-1996.