as in dwarf
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as in suppressed
to hold back the normal growth of
unfortunately, an unusually dry summer seems to have permanently stunted the tree
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Recent Examples of stunted
Lauren Victory, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Musty, oppressive Victorian ideals have warped the young Forsytes into ugly, stunted nightmare people.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
The plant will form stunted shoots and leaves along with unattractive brown spots.
—Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 24 Mar. 2026
Gould said fossil fuel emissions are associated with various cancers, an increase in hospitalizations for older adults due to respiratory conditions, and asthma attacks or stunted lung growth in children.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
That stunted dynamic all puts the dramatic onus of the season on Jolyon’s and Louisa’s relationship, made impossible both by class and by Francis’s political machinations for her husband.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Avoid pruning more than one-third of the growth, as this can lead to stunted blooms.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
When this happens, plants in the pot may show signs of stress, such as yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or leaf drop.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Unfortunately, many gardeners never notice soil pH problems until their plants begin showing signs of stress, including stunted plant growth, poor crop yields, and yellowing leaves with deep green veins.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Items from the archives have dominated the red carpet in the last couple years, as a slew of creative director changes stunted the showcase of new designs.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2026
Also, the frantic movement among players and coaches during the NIL era has perhaps stunted the growth of college quarterbacks.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Ensuing blackouts have hit essential sectors, namely health care, while a lack of fuel has stunted the island’s vital tourism industry.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
But the steady deterioration of what used to be Twitter has stunted the conversations on the app.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
In fact, all members of the cabbage family can be stunted by clubroot, which is more likely to infect roots in acidic soil.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Van der Westhuizen loved to play cricket and rugby, but the segregationist apartheid regime stunted that dream by restricting him from testing his mettle with talented Black athletes.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Every time Young would have a positive play or two, a drive would be stunted by a penalty or an execution setback.
—Mike Kaye
updated January 3, Charlotte Observer, 4 Jan. 2026
Adjective
The shooting caused severe brain damage and left him disabled, with stunted brain development and problems with both short and long term memory, his attorney said.
—Lauren Victory, CBS News, 27 Mar. 2026
Musty, oppressive Victorian ideals have warped the young Forsytes into ugly, stunted nightmare people.
—Kathryn Vanarendonk, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2026
The plant will form stunted shoots and leaves along with unattractive brown spots.
—Michelle Mastro, Architectural Digest, 24 Mar. 2026
Gould said fossil fuel emissions are associated with various cancers, an increase in hospitalizations for older adults due to respiratory conditions, and asthma attacks or stunted lung growth in children.
—Los Angeles Times, 23 Mar. 2026
That stunted dynamic all puts the dramatic onus of the season on Jolyon’s and Louisa’s relationship, made impossible both by class and by Francis’s political machinations for her husband.
—Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 23 Mar. 2026
Avoid pruning more than one-third of the growth, as this can lead to stunted blooms.
—Barbara Gillette, The Spruce, 16 Mar. 2026
When this happens, plants in the pot may show signs of stress, such as yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or leaf drop.
—Jessica Safavimehr, Southern Living, 13 Mar. 2026
Unfortunately, many gardeners never notice soil pH problems until their plants begin showing signs of stress, including stunted plant growth, poor crop yields, and yellowing leaves with deep green veins.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 3 Mar. 2026
Verb
Niantic Spatial’s Visual Positioning System, or VPS, solves a problem that has quietly stunted the autonomous delivery industry.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Items from the archives have dominated the red carpet in the last couple years, as a slew of creative director changes stunted the showcase of new designs.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2026
Also, the frantic movement among players and coaches during the NIL era has perhaps stunted the growth of college quarterbacks.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Ensuing blackouts have hit essential sectors, namely health care, while a lack of fuel has stunted the island’s vital tourism industry.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
But the steady deterioration of what used to be Twitter has stunted the conversations on the app.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
In fact, all members of the cabbage family can be stunted by clubroot, which is more likely to infect roots in acidic soil.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Van der Westhuizen loved to play cricket and rugby, but the segregationist apartheid regime stunted that dream by restricting him from testing his mettle with talented Black athletes.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Every time Young would have a positive play or two, a drive would be stunted by a penalty or an execution setback.
—Mike Kaye
updated January 3, Charlotte Observer, 4 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stunted
Adjective
-
Amateur astronomers can squint into an eight-inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope and learn how to identify a dwarf galaxy from a planetary nebula.—
Mark Johanson,
Outside,
18 Mar. 2026
-
Note, however, that dwarf butterfly bushes, such as the Lo & Behold series, grow slowly and require little or no pruning; do not cut them back to ground level but only shape them gently as needed.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
That means speech around controversial issues, diet and fitness, mental health topics, sexuality, and much more will be suppressed.—
Elizabeth Nolan Brown,
Oc Register,
26 Mar. 2026
-
This structural scaling suppressed unwanted charge trapping and leakage currents, ensuring the chip remains electronically stable even under intense, high-dose gamma exposure.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
24 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
While much of the Yucatan peninsula is covered by rain forest, the landscape designers improved on nature here creating a jungle that is less scrubby than the real thing and instead planted with dramatic Mexican fan palms and other tropical trees that create a solid green wall.—
John Newton,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Banks are fringed with grasses and scrubby trees, as colorful hills slant down to the water.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Then, as her fingers raced across the fretboard of an upright bass that dwarfed her petite figure, Amy Gadiaga wove vocal magic.—
Deborah Sengupta Stith,
Austin American Statesman,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Even that number may be dwarfed by the number of claims not yet brought.—
J.C. Hallman,
Oklahoman,
27 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
The plot pivots on tiny gestures involving matters of life and death.—
Richard Brody,
New Yorker,
27 Mar. 2026
-
Each impact steals a tiny bit of the spacecraft’s speed, pushing it a smidgen closer to Earth.—
Meghan Bartels,
Scientific American,
26 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Unlike most toddlers with similar ambitions, however, Caldwell continued his excavation for over two years, until bedrock finally halted his efforts.—
Namir Khaliq,
Big Think,
31 Mar. 2026
-
The program was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.—
Nicole Buss,
Sacbee.com,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
And unlike most electrics that try their best to look the part but offer relatively puny power figures, the STRiX boasts impressive horsepower figures in addition to the high torque that comes as a byproduct of electric motors.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
25 Mar. 2026
-
The wipeout has erased over $265 billion in market cap; Blackstone and Blue Owl are now trading far below their levels of late 2021, and the sudden drop left KKR, Apollo and Ares showing puny, market-trailing gains over that near half-decade.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Still, those sorts of phony statements have deeply diminished faith in our elections and our increasingly rickety democracy.—
Mark Z. Barabak,
Mercury News,
26 Mar. 2026
-
How diminished will their opportunities for success be in the real world?—
Ethan Siegel,
Big Think,
25 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stunted. Accessed 2 Apr. 2026.
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