GOADED Synonyms: 61 Similar and Opposite Words

goaded

verb

past tense of goad

as in urged

to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action tried to goad me into auditioning for the play

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

as in spurred

to urge or push forward with or as if with a pointed object goading the horse forward into the stall

Synonyms & Similar Words

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 goaded Garrett, the best defensive player of the post-Aaron Donald era, fittingly goaded the legend out of retirement. — Jeff Howe, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Or Pablo Picasso, goaded into radicalism by the latest bizarre creations of Matisse, retreating to the Spanish mountain village of Gósol and, mere months later, beginning work on his proto-cubist masterpiece, Les Demoiselles d’Avignon. — Sebastian Smee, The Atlantic, 27 Aug. 2026 The architect of the program’s revitalization will not be goaded into predictions or promises. — Miami Herald, 16 Aug. 2026 Anthony provoked and goaded Metcalf, Wirskye said. — Emerson Clarridge, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2026 In the ensuing chaos, one of those two young men takes the stage, goaded on by his friend, and soon has the audience dancing to his melodies and words. — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 22 May 2026 He was mocked and goaded by Callum Newman into attacking Shingo Takagi after Newman retained the IWGP Heavyweight Championship. — Ryan Gaydos, FOXNews.com, 7 May 2026 The czar, goaded by his military advisors, mobilized the Russian army knowing that meant war. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 18 Mar. 2026 Her ups and downs were a regular punch line on late-night talk shows, starting with her first appearance on The Tonight Show in 1985, when she was goaded into agreeing to lose 15 lbs. — Eileen Finan, PEOPLE, 30 Dec. 2025

Recent Examples of Synonyms for goaded

Verb

Eisenkot urged him to do so, arguing that military force without a diplomatic strategy could not deliver a lasting victory.

— Eric Cortellessa, Time, 25 Oct. 2026
However, experts urged caution when drawing sweeping conclusions from subgroup survey data.

— Khloe Quill, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026

Definition of urged

Verb

But a rising swath of digital inventory, spurred by the rise of cheap FAST channels and increased inventory on mainstream streamers, has weakened the media companies’ stance.

— Brian Steinberg, Variety, 27 Oct. 2026
Throughout October thousands joined the cause in Delhi and other Indian cities, their marches spurred by anger directed against an ongoing national exercise to overhaul the country’s electoral register.

— Asim Ali, Time, 24 Oct. 2026

Definition of spurred

Verb

Alison Linder, assistant sustainability coordinator at Occidental College, which has a thrift store of its own with Halloween costumes in stock, encouraged people to organize their own swaps with neighbors, friends or school classmates.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 24 Oct. 2026
But Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has repeatedly dismissed previous caution of AI tools and encouraged rapid autonomous innovation at the Pentagon.

— Chiara Eisner, NPR, 23 Oct. 2026

Definition of encouraged

Verb

Before the glitter from the Knicks’ meat-hook sized rings stopped shimmering, the NBA nudged everyone along to the new season.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 21 Oct. 2026
What unfolded instead was a traffic jam on the right side before Walker cut back left, Mahomes nudged a linebacker off his course and Walker hit the crease and dived into the end zone.

— Sam McDowell October 20, Kansas City Star, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of nudged

Verb

Builders, prodded to work beyond city limits, adopted Olmsted’s vision for what those suburbs should look like.

— Daniel Immerwahr, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2026
She's trekked the Indian Himalayas, chanted with with Buddhist monks in Laos, chatted with a ghost in Bali and has been repeatedly poked, prodded and pummelled in the name of wellness.

— Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 24 Aug. 2026

Definition of prodded

Verb

Kessler, standing nearby during Williams’ postgame news conference, poked his head out from behind a black curtain and gave his teammate a thumbs-up.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 17 Oct. 2026
Already poked, the league bear hasn’t exactly gone into hibernation, either.

— Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of poked

Verb

The 25-year-old who was punched refused medical attention at the scene.

— Jesse Zanger, CBS News, 21 Oct. 2026
The Rays punched their ticket to baseball’s biggest stage with a 7-3 victory over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 6 of the American League Championship Series, taking the best-of-seven series four games to two.

— Kyle Feldscher, CNN Money, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of punched

Browse Nearby Words

goad

goaded

goading

See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

Style

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

Copy Citation

Synonyms of goaded

verb

Example Sentences

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

grotesque

Popular in Grammar & Usage

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Popular in Wordplay

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE

Popular

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

Games & Quizzes