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
-
Norwegian Epic is awkward, distinctive and sometimes frustrating.—
David Nikel,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
The cancellation was frustrating enough, but this comes across as incredibly dismissive of the fans who support your career.—
Ashley Hume,
FOXNews.com,
14 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
-
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
-
The systematic dismantling of USAID has led to catastrophic humanitarian situations in Africa, including hampering the global response to the current Ebola outbreak.—
Charlie Warzel,
The Atlantic,
10 June 2026
Adjective
-
At best, this total DJI ban is a baffling oversight.—
Will Greenwald,
PC Magazine,
12 June 2026
-
And then getting to support Taylor was just baffling and wild, and just so cool and so affirming.—
Jack Irvin,
PEOPLE,
8 June 2026
Noun
-
The roads are gravel, remote, full of potholes, and arriving at the hotel meant making a river crossing at one point in time (a bridge has since been introduced).—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
17 June 2026
-
House Democrats are betting that a future Speaker Hakeem Jeffries wouldn’t struggle with the type of aisle-crossing rebellion that’s often vexed current Speaker Mike Johnson.—
Nicholas Wu,
semafor.com,
16 June 2026
Verb
-
Fans can also pick up souvenir maps when stopping at the attraction this summer.—
Chiara Kim,
PEOPLE,
16 June 2026
-
Things to do along the Little Parkway Southern Living recommends stopping at several of the High Country’s most popular attractions, including Grandfather Mountain, where visitors can cross the Mile High Swinging Bridge, explore the Wilson Center for Nature Discovery and access nearby trails.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
16 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
-
Hanefeld pointed to Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and the training area in Grafenwöhr as examples of Germany’s continuing importance to American power projection and NATO deterrence.—
Efrat Lachter,
FOXNews.com,
14 June 2026
-
His lack of rim deterrence has been roundly panned.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking. Accessed 18 Jun. 2026.
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