What does compellable mean?
Compellable is an adjective describing someone or something capable of being compelled — that is, forced or legally required to act. It is chiefly a term of law, most often applied to witnesses: courts distinguish between witnesses who may voluntarily come forward and those who are compellable, meaning the law obliges them to testify when properly summoned. The word derives from the Latin verb pellere, 'to drive or push', via the English verb compel, which combines it with com-, 'together' — literally 'to drive together'. Because of its narrow legal footing, compellable rarely appears in everyday speech; it belongs to the formal vocabulary of statutes, tribunals, and courtroom procedure. Its closest everyday counterpart is compulsory, though that word describes obligations themselves rather than the people bound by them. For readers encountering legal texts, recognising compellable clarifies an important distinction about who must answer questions under law and who may choose otherwise.
adjectiveCapable of being compelled or forced; in legal usage, required by law to do something — especially a witness who can be lawfully required to testify.
- (Of a person, especially a witness) legally obliged or able to be required to testify or act.
- Generally capable of being forced or compelled.
"As a serving magistrate, she was a compellable witness at the tribunal."
"The inquiry ruled that the former official was a compellable witness and could not decline to appear."
"Under the statute, certain categories of persons are compellable while others retain the right to remain silent."
In courtrooms, not every witness may refuse: some are 'compellable', meaning the law itself can drag them before the judge.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of compellable
Compellable traces to Latin pellere ('to drive, push'), through the verb compel, formed with the prefix com-. The -able suffix yields an adjective meaning 'that can be compelled'. Its use is strongly associated with legal contexts, particularly witnesses whom law requires to testify.
Related word forms
How compellable is actually used
Almost exclusively formal and legal in register; rare outside courtroom and statutory contexts, where 'compellable witness' is its most frequent use.
Easily confused with compellable
Compulsory describes something that is itself mandatory, while compellable describes someone or something that can be compelled to do it.