Compelling means so convincing that it is hard to argue with. Compelling evidence, a compelling case, compelling reading.
Of evidence it means strong enough to settle the question. Of a book or a performance it means gripping — you cannot put it down, which is the same force in another direction. Compelling reason is a defined phrase in some legal and administrative tests. Note compel, from which it comes, meaning to leave no choice, which is exactly what the adjective claims.
1adjectivecompellingSo convincing it is hard to argue with.
“The lawyer presented compelling evidence that her client was innocent.”
synonyms: persuasive, convincing
2adjectivegrippingGripping, of a book or performance.
“The novel is so compelling that I read it in one night.”
compelling is a quality of persuasiveness.
Middle English
compellen
English
compel
English, today
compelling
Built from
by surface analysis, compel + -ing. compel comes from Middle English compellen. From Middle English compellen, borrowed from Middle French compellir, from Latin compello, itself from com- (“together”) + pellere (“to drive”). Displaced native nīedan.
Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA