BALKED Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

balked

verb

past tense of balk

as in frustrated

to prevent from achieving a goal a young man with big dreams who refused to be balked by the many challenges he faced in making them a reality

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Recent Examples of balked But the prime minister balked at turning weapons on a family—and a veteran, no less. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026 Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez blatantly balked in front of a crowd of 24,297, and the only four people who could fix it didn’t see it until watching a video afterward. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Many balked at the price tag, especially in light of the county’s ongoing budgetary woes. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 As eastern Connecticut in the past couple of years has become an economic development hotspot, many very small towns have balked at worsening traffic and noise along with the loss of the rural lifestyle. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026 However, the fact that the European ministers who provide funding for Ariane 6 balked at these upgrades may indicate growing impatience with the rocket’s cost. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026 Russian President Vladimir Putin has balked at negotiating a peace deal directly with Zelensky. — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Democratic activists balked, Hilton stepped down and investments dried up. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 And, while other states had balked at the fifty-million-dollar price tag that Hubbard deemed necessary for the clinical trials, Texas had ended the year with a twenty-four-billion-dollar budget surplus from oil and gas revenues. — Michelle Lhooq, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked

Verb

Theo Lindstein plays better than Fowler, but Montgomery plays Lindstein fewer than 20 games, leaving fans frustrated.

— Jeremy Rutherford, New York Times, 8 Sep. 2026
Jones said she’s been frustrated with the progress of the police investigation and with a lack of communication from law enforcement.

— Evy Lewis, Chicago Tribune, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of frustrated

Verb

Her unconventional breakdancing moves during her final performance against Lithuania’s Dominika Banevič (B-Girl Nicka) baffled audiences at home and cemented her as a meme royalty.

— Alejandra Gularte, Vulture, 3 Sep. 2026
Host Kara Robinson Chamberlain, a true crime influencer, kidnapping survivor and former law enforcement officer, investigated the killing that has baffled Liz's family, friends and the community for seven years.

— Curran Rastogi, ABC News, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of baffled

Verb

Last season was hampered by an injury to starter Drew Allar, but Penn State has had more than eight passes over 40 yards, in a season, one time in the last six years.

— The Athletic College Football Staff, New York Times, 9 Sep. 2026
Fiske is at full strength after being hampered last season by a knee injury sustained at the end of his rookie year.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 7 Sep. 2026

Definition of hampered

Verb

As the years go by, babies are born, parents get sick and die, careers are started then ended, wives and husbands are thwarted, and, eventually, sheets are strewn and booties are tapped.

— Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 5 Sep. 2026
That was before Shohei Ohtani’s two-way ambitions were thwarted, the lineup turned frigid and the legitimacy of Mark Walter’s entire business empire came into question.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026

Definition of thwarted

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balk (at)

balked

balked (at)

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“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 14 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of balked

verb

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