BLACKMAILED Synonyms: 50 Similar and Opposite Words

blackmailed

verb

past tense of blackmail

as in threatened

to use blackmail against (someone) The old man was being blackmailed by his nephew.

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of blackmailed Racketeers blackmailed companies and executives, threatened to disrupt shareholder meetings, or intimidated other shareholders to keep quiet. — Ian Buruma, New Yorker, 12 Oct. 2026 Season two goes a little differently than season one, because the music exec in charge of casting the show (Ashley Padilla) is being lightly blackmailed by two … unique candidates (Jane Wickline and new cast member Grace Reiter). — Bethy Squires, Vulture, 27 Sep. 2026 Blizzard insinuated that Paramount blackmailed California into negotiating a settlement by threatening to leave the state, a common talking point raised by Bonta. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 24 Sep. 2026 Assassination-for-hire is the tragicomic domain of people looking for someone to kill a spouse or a rival but getting blackmailed by teenagers pretending to be hit men in the process. — Finn Brunton, Harpers Magazine, 1 Sep. 2026 Although Sheldon was initially blackmailed into meeting Amy, the duo quickly bonded over their similarities and went on their first official date in season 4. — Joyann Jeffrey, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026 Irene has blackmailed the Bohemian royal family, Carrie is a thief who has stolen rare stamps from a penniless woman unaware of their value, and Fanny disguises as a man to gain access to a bank vault. — Literary Hub, 24 July 2026 Some students discovered the account and blackmailed Nichols into giving them better grades, the warrant states. — Louis Casiano, FOXNews.com, 2 July 2026 He was never blackmailed by Epstein. — Graham Kates, CBS News, 26 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for blackmailed

Verb

Torres threatened to expose the relationship to her employer.

— Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
But the rumor of ad sales led to an insurrection on Spanish-language Wikipedia, which threatened to break away.

— Julian Lucas, New Yorker, 21 Oct. 2026

Definition of threatened

Verb

Yet profits have still been squeezed as jet fuel prices surged roughly 90% since the US-Israeli war on Iran began in February, forcing several major carriers to cut earnings forecasts.

— Reuters, NBC news, 23 Oct. 2026
Meanwhile, free cash flow at another budget carrier, JetBlue Airways, remains severely squeezed by elevated jet fuel prices.

— , CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezed

Verb

Clement later successfully extorted one of Roshanki’s friends for $5,000 in drug proceeds, then insisted that Roshanski owed him money for drugs and fraud.

— Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 27 Aug. 2026
The police chief allegedly extorted the victim and the victim’s father in connection with the pending murder case.

— Brittny Mejia, Los Angeles Times, 7 July 2026

Definition of extorted

Verb

The homeowner didn’t charge him rent, and the truck Buchanan drove was a gift, the woman told agents.

— Matthew Ormseth, Los Angeles Times, 22 Oct. 2026
An Australian data center operator’s profit warning drove its stock down as much as 44%, while dozens of large facilities have been blocked or delayed in the US this year by opposition from locals.

— Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 22 Oct. 2026

Definition of drove

Verb

During a retrial in 2019, one of the victims and a co-defendant testified that their previous testimony implicating Bennett was coerced by a then-homicide detective.

— CBS Philadelphia, CBS News, 28 Oct. 2026
Her confession to murdering her 2-year-old daughter was coerced, and the district attorney who prosecuted her case was later convicted of bribery, extortion and other crimes.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of coerced

Verb

West Virginia transfer forward DJ Thomas, an Allen alum, has impressed through the offseason and gives TCU a viable backup for Edmonds.

— Steven Johnson, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 21 Oct. 2026
James was impressed by the rising generation of perfumers’ work ethic, remarkable ideas and ability to storytell.

— Jennifer Weil, Footwear News, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of impressed

Verb

Yet against Texas, the Gators stopped the Longhorns twice on fourth down, repeatedly harassed Manning and held the Texas offense under 300 total yards.

— Mike Bianchi, The Orlando Sentinel, 17 Oct. 2026
The horrifying filing details how bullies harassed her with Nazi salutes, slurs, and brutal violence following the October 7 massacre.

— Staff, FOXNews.com, 15 Oct. 2026

Definition of harassed

Verb

Earlier this fall, a deadlocked jury in the Lindsay Clancy murder case forced the judge to declare a mistrial.

— Anja Aronowsky Cronberg, New Yorker, 24 Oct. 2026
CoreWeave, the biggest of the group, has seen the spread on its credit default swaps soar past 11%, as investors are forced to pay up for insurance against default.

— Kif Leswing,Isabel O'Brien, CNBC, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of forced

Browse Nearby Words

blackmail

blackmailed

blackmailer

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Style

“Blackmailed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/blackmailed. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of blackmailed

verb

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