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Incline vs Compel - What's the difference?

incline | compel |

In transitive terms the difference between incline and compel

is that incline is to bend or move (something) out of a given plane or direction, often the horizontal or vertical while compel is to exact, extort, (make) produce by force.

As a noun incline

is a slope.

incline

Alternative forms

* encline (obsolete)

Verb

(inclin)
  • (lb) To bend or move (something) out of a given plane or direction, often the horizontal or vertical.
  • :
  • :
  • (lb) To slope.
  • :
  • To tend to do or believe something, or move or be moved in a certain direction, away from a point of view, attitude, etc.
  • :
  • :
  • *
  • *:"My tastes," he said, still smiling, "incline me to the garishly sunlit side of this planet." And, to tease her and arouse her to combat: "I prefer a farandole to a nocturne; I'd rather have a painting than an etching; Mr. Whistler bores me with his monochromatic mud; I don't like dull colours, dull sounds, dull intellects;."
  • *(rfdate), J. M. G. van der Poel, "Agriculture in Pre- and Protohistoric Times", in the Acta Historiae Neerlandica published by the Netherlands Committee of Historical Sciences, p.170:
  • *:The terp farmer made use of the plough, as is shown by the discovery of three ploughshares and four coulters..
  • *Usage note: In this sense incline is usually used in the passive voice, and usually intransitively.
  • Noun

    (en noun)
  • A slope.
  • * To reach the building, we had to climb a steep incline .
  • compel

    English

    Verb

  • (transitive, archaic, literally) To drive together, round up (rfex)
  • To overpower; to subdue.
  • * 1917 , , King Coal , ch. 16,
  • She had one of those perfect faces, which irresistibly compel the soul of a man.
  • To force, constrain or coerce.
  • Logic compels''' the wise, while fools feel '''compelled by emotions.
  • * 1600 , , Julius Caesar , act 5, sc. 1,
  • Against my will, / As Pompey was, am I compell’d to set / Upon one battle all our liberties.
  • * Hallam
  • Wolsey compelled the people to pay up the whole subsidy at once.
  • To exact, extort, (make) produce by force.
  • * Shakespeare
  • Commissions, which compel from each / The sixth part of his substance.
  • * 1912 , , Sky Island , ch. 14,
  • The Queen has nothing but the power to execute the laws, to adjust grievances and to compel order.
  • (obsolete) To force to yield; to overpower; to subjugate.
  • * Dryden
  • Easy sleep their weary limbs compelled .
  • * Tennyson
  • I compel all creatures to my will.
  • (obsolete) To gather or unite in a crowd or company.
  • * Dryden
  • in one troop compelled
  • (obsolete) To call forth; to summon.
  • * Spenser
  • She had this knight from far compelled .
    (Chapman)

    Derived terms

    * compellable * compeller * compelling * compellation * compel testimony

    References

    * * * Random House Webster’s Unabridged Electronic Dictionary , 1987-1996. English control verbs English transitive verbs