1
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
the conversation was somewhat stilted as we didn't seem to share any interests
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in formal
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details
a stilted letter of apology that was written and accepted with equal measures of insincerity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stilted
The awkward commercial has recently begun to recirculate around the internet, resulting in pairs of TikTokers recreating the visual in endearing clips gently poking at the stilted chemistry of the original.
—
Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 May 2025
Why do American actors sound so stilted when playing characters from the 19th century when British actors sound so natural?
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
Nabulsi’s inter-generational drama is carefully composed, though the movie’s other subplots (concerning its handful of American and British characters) tend to be more stilted.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
And even in what was a stilted match played in an increasingly irritable atmosphere, Rogers and Tielemans delivered with an assist each.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stilted
Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 29 May 2025
Why do American actors sound so stilted when playing characters from the 19th century when British actors sound so natural?
—Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 16 Apr. 2025
Nabulsi’s inter-generational drama is carefully composed, though the movie’s other subplots (concerning its handful of American and British characters) tend to be more stilted.
—Siddhant Adlakha, Variety, 11 Apr. 2025
And even in what was a stilted match played in an increasingly irritable atmosphere, Rogers and Tielemans delivered with an assist each.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stilted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stilted
Adjective
-
And also burst into laughter – uncomfortable laughter.—
Katcy Stephan,
Variety,
29 June 2025
-
There was one uncomfortable moment when the Bruins’ brass on Causeway Street, trying to interface with Hagens at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles via Zoom, could not hear the player and the broadcast had to move on.—
Steve Conroy,
Boston Herald,
28 June 2025
Adjective
-
Pioneer’s formal notice comes after the practice was revealed by Daniel Swift, a principal at the global tax consulting firm Ryan that represents a number of commercial property owners in Boston, and reported on this month by the Herald.—
Gayla Cawley,
Boston Herald,
25 June 2025
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And on Tuesday, a day before his confirmation hearing, a whistleblower filed a formal complaint alleging Bove planned to knowingly defy court orders and withhold information from judges about the administration's deportation agenda.—
Carrie Johnson,
NPR,
25 June 2025
Adjective
-
The next mayor, like so many of his predecessors, will have to engage in awkward negotiations with politicians in Albany.—
John Cassidy,
New Yorker,
30 June 2025
-
Barely a week goes by without some fresh young talent arriving in West London to pose for the media with a Blue jersey and an awkward grin.—
Zak Garner-Purkis,
Forbes.com,
30 June 2025
Adjective
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Nevertheless, nice to get an explanation for why Vondrousova has been invisible.—
James Hansen,
New York Times,
21 June 2025
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Other names that would be nice to see in the mix are Jon Hamm for Your Friends & Neighbors and Melanie Lynskey for Yellowjackets.—
H. Alan Scott,
MSNBC Newsweek,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Herbert includes a range of moments, from earnest attempts to talk about the enslaved people that maintained all these palatial homes to clumsier ones in which they are referred to as workers, insinuating that their labor was paid for instead of forced.—
Lovia Gyarkye,
HollywoodReporter,
20 June 2025
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The aftermath of Virginia’s clumsy tumble into a rose bed where her exposed cleavage is profusely pricked by thorns lasts for all of one scene.—
Courtney Howard,
Variety,
16 June 2025
Adjective
-
More decorous versions simply excluded Jews, Blacks, and others to create those ethnic enclaves Vance decries in the form of elite institutions from country clubs to, formerly, Congress and the courts.—
Rebecca Solnit
August 23,
Literary Hub,
23 Aug. 2024
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Instead, they are selected and rearranged to form a narrative of gradual debasement: a semantic descent from the decorous to the vulgar, often ending with crude references to the body.—
Jeffrey Weiss,
Artforum,
1 May 2025
Adjective
-
Edan Lui of Hong Kong boy band Mirror will also make his Korean drama debut in the new season, joining the cast in a role that pairs him in an uneasy alliance with Kim Do-gi.—
Patrick Brzeski,
HollywoodReporter,
25 June 2025
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Repeatedly returning to themes of globalization and alienation, the 55-year-old director has meticulously chronicled his country’s uneasy plunge into the 21st century as rampant industrialization risks deadening those left behind.—
Tim Grierson,
Los Angeles Times,
20 June 2025
Adjective
-
Ogden's #75 dons the back of one fan, Kris Prowse, who has opted – on this ceremonious day – to wear the jersey that started it all.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
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The vice president’s role in officiating the Electoral College count before Congress — the final step in the election process before a president takes the White House — was known for many cycles as one that was mostly uneventful and largely ceremonious.—
Alex Gangitano,
The Hill,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stilted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stilted. Accessed 4 Jul. 2025.
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