1
as in domineering
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1
as in regulating
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
you must learn to control your temper
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in containing
to gain emotional or mental control of
he controlled himself only with the greatest difficulty in the face of his opponent's insulting remarks
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3
as in governing
to exercise authority or power over
circumstances often control the choices we make in life
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4
as in managing
to look after and make decisions about
during the period that she controlled the company it was highly profitable
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of controlling
Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
Yet another was a forum for people who, like me, had left a highly controlling religious denomination.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 14 May 2026
Her students have more trouble controlling their bodies and expressing their feelings.
—Stacker, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for controlling
Adjective
Rousseau is a notoriously controlling and meticulous leader, obsessed with optics and strict about the physical fitness of his members.
—Rob Picheta, CNN Money, 15 Dec. 2025
Yet another was a forum for people who, like me, had left a highly controlling religious denomination.
—James Parker, The Atlantic, 4 Nov. 2025
Verb
In April, as reported, Fabrizio Freda, the former longtime CEO of The Estée Lauder Companies, was appointed special strategic adviser by Ferragamo Finanziaria SpA, the holding company of the Ferragamo family and the controlling shareholder of the fashion group.
—Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 14 May 2026
Her students have more trouble controlling their bodies and expressing their feelings.
—Stacker, Hartford Courant, 9 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for controlling
Recent Examples of Synonyms for controlling
Adjective
-
After being expelled from Brown University for sneaking a coed into his room, Turner came to Atlanta to work as an account executive for his domineering father’s billboard company, Turner Advertising.—
David Bauder,
Chicago Tribune,
6 May 2026
-
After being expelled from Brown University, Turner came to Atlanta to work for his domineering father’s billboard company, Turner Advertising.—
David Bauder,
Fortune,
6 May 2026
Adjective
-
You’re supposed to win when that happens … except that the two Dodgers starters, Shohei Ohtani and Blake Snell, were equally dominating.—
Jayson Stark,
New York Times,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Makary, a surgical oncologist known for criticizing the government’s handling of the Covid pandemic, served as head of the agency responsible for regulating food, drugs and medical devices for more than a year.—
Annika Kim Constantino,Angelica Peebles,
CNBC,
12 May 2026
-
All this while the federal government’s main tool for regulating medical software, the Food and Drug Administration’s device-approval process, is structurally unfit for regulating autonomous clinical AI.—
Alon Bergman,
STAT,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
Boxes from the White House, some containing classified material, had been found crammed into a bathroom at Mar-a-Lago, next to a toilet and below a crystal chandelier.—
Ruth Marcus,
New Yorker,
14 May 2026
-
Planters containing other trees and perennials, including hazel, hawthorn, field maples, ferns, and grasses, will continue the forest theme through the colonnade to the main entrance.—
Anne Doran,
ARTnews.com,
14 May 2026
Verb
-
But that logic effectively reduces state legislatures to instruments of national party strategy, rather than independent governing bodies accountable first to their own voters.—
The Editorial Board,
Chicago Tribune,
11 May 2026
-
The hypothetical doctor would be a governing body for the sport.—
Sam Cohn,
Baltimore Sun,
11 May 2026
Verb
-
If managing cholesterol is a priority, aim to eat one cup of cooked oatmeal per day.—
Kirsten Nunez,
Martha Stewart,
17 May 2026
-
That’s why the younger version of himself — that kid who arrived in NASCAR two decades ago simply wanting to drive race cars —would never have imagined owning a team or managing a company.—
Greg Engle,
Forbes.com,
17 May 2026
Adjective
-
Apes, on the other hand, have much flatter, more grasping feet, indicating that they’re better suited for climbing than for repetitive ground contact.—
Scott Travers,
Forbes.com,
16 Apr. 2026
-
My hope is tenuous, grasping; scar tissue from 108 years of futility is never fully salved.—
Stephen J. Nesbitt,
New York Times,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Her former colleague, Paul Michel, says Newman is clear and cogent.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
29 Mar. 2026
-
Plenty had their say, but one of the clearest and most cogent responses came from Seedorf.—
Nick Miller,
New York Times,
18 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Controlling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/controlling. Accessed 18 May. 2026.
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