as in frustrating
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as in thwarting
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Dissimilar Words
as in hampering
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 balking
Washington Post, 10 June 2026
But Democrats are now balking at a long-term extension over their objections to Pulte.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 9 June 2026
GitHub users who have grown accustomed to using its Copilot integration as part of their workflow are balking at cost estimates as the service moves toward per-token billing, rather than per-request billing, Ars Technica reports.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026
Philip Roth and John Updike can be accused of many things, but balking at full-frontal heterosexuality is not one of them.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
According to Puck, YouTube may sit out entirely after balking at splitting a five-game package with Netflix.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Then came the eighth inning, which saw Yankees longman Ryan Yarbrough give up a grand slam to Jo Adell after balking and intentionally walking Trout.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
But out in the world, shoppers started balking at the cost of a bag of chips.
—Wire Tbd, Dallas Morning News, 8 Apr. 2026
But out in the world, shoppers started balking at the cost of a bag of chips.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
Verb
Higher education is under siege, with many students and parents balking at high costs.
—Washington Post, 10 June 2026
But Democrats are now balking at a long-term extension over their objections to Pulte.
—John Parkinson, ABC News, 9 June 2026
GitHub users who have grown accustomed to using its Copilot integration as part of their workflow are balking at cost estimates as the service moves toward per-token billing, rather than per-request billing, Ars Technica reports.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 2 June 2026
Philip Roth and John Updike can be accused of many things, but balking at full-frontal heterosexuality is not one of them.
—Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
According to Puck, YouTube may sit out entirely after balking at splitting a five-game package with Netflix.
—Bobby Burack Outkick, FOXNews.com, 11 May 2026
Then came the eighth inning, which saw Yankees longman Ryan Yarbrough give up a grand slam to Jo Adell after balking and intentionally walking Trout.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 16 Apr. 2026
But out in the world, shoppers started balking at the cost of a bag of chips.
—Wire Tbd, Dallas Morning News, 8 Apr. 2026
But out in the world, shoppers started balking at the cost of a bag of chips.
—Bloomberg, Oc Register, 7 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balking
Adjective
-
If this World Cup has been trying for Iran, it’s been frustrating for Belgium, which hasn’t scored a goal of its own.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
21 June 2026
-
The Netherlands are coming off a frustrating 2-2 draw against Japan and desperately need a win to keep their qualification hopes alive.—
Jibin Joseph,
PC Magazine,
20 June 2026
Noun
-
The attack’s thwarting was an undeniable success.—
Shane Harris,
The Atlantic,
27 Apr. 2026
-
The thwarting of the Charlotte Hornets, one of the NBA’s fastest squads, is the quintessential White play.—
Fred Katz,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The sanctions are hampering work on a broad array of investigations at the court.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
19 June 2026
-
Winds of up to 50 mph stoked the flames and severely limited the fire response by hampering boat and aircraft access to the remote island.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
Would Huston be proud that this baffling story continues to find new audiences during the World Cup?—
Jim Hemphill,
IndieWire,
19 June 2026
-
Astronomers may have finally cracked one of the most baffling mysteries about the Milky Way after decades of research.—
Alexandra Banner,
CNN Money,
17 June 2026
Noun
-
These figures mark a clear increase from depressed crossing rates seen during much of the Iran war since its start in late February.—
Rhea Mogul,
CNN Money,
23 June 2026
-
Flying bricks damaged the crossing’s signal arms, and the crossing was closed by Union Pacific.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
23 June 2026
Verb
-
And the heat’s not stopping anytime soon.—
Ashley Miznazi,
Miami Herald,
23 June 2026
-
Video shows how chase led to deadly crash Instead of stopping, the purple car accelerated and sped through a red light, according to video from Joel’s dashboard camera.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
23 June 2026
Adjective
-
The winner was the player who avoided being blocked the longest — a blocking game, a category of strategy game where the objective centers on restricting your opponent’s movement.—
Hanna Wickes,
Kansas City Star,
19 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
Finland’s parliament on Wednesday voted to lift a decades-old ban on nuclear weapons, approving a major defense policy shift aimed at aligning the country more closely with North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) deterrence strategy.—
Bonny Chu,
FOXNews.com,
18 June 2026
-
Handlers also report that KBD’s are being used less frequently for deterrence and problem bears are being euthanized more often.—
Natalie Krebs,
Outdoor Life,
17 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking. Accessed 24 Jun. 2026.
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