browbeaten 1 of 2

adjective

as in cowed

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browbeaten

2 of 2

verb

variants or browbeat
past participle of browbeat
as in intimidated
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats they would often browbeat the younger child until he cried

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of browbeaten
Adjective
Audiences who endured the Miramax era have been browbeaten to believe that the best picture Oscar should go to a period piece that chokes out a sob from audiences. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026 Not to the extent that the user is necessarily being browbeaten. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Dodgers management didn’t browbeat Treinen and Call, and that’s fine — ballplayers should be entitled to share their personal thoughts, however noxious. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 No need to legally browbeat AI makers or require AI developers to implement specialized AI safety features. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 England looked cowed and browbeaten by the second half of the semifinal, which allowed Lionel Messi to do what only Lionel Messi can do. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 July 2026 But that bar was browbeaten by critics into pausing and then canceling the project. — Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026 Davies more or less browbeat her into terminating the pregnancy, and dropped out of college. — Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 The administration’s apparent plan to resolve this difficulty is to shame or browbeat members of the artistic community into performing there. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025 Not to mention the relentless White House campaign to browbeat Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates while auditioning dovish successors. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025 Some of them used that stage to browbeat Democratic politicians. — David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for browbeaten
  1. intimidated
  2. bullied
  3. oppressed
  4. frightened
  5. downtrodden
  6. scared
  7. crushed
  8. threatened
Adjective
  • The biggest hurdle, though, is simply believing the Elle Woods who learns to prove her doubters wrong at 16 would be so intimidated when faced with doing it again at 22.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 June 2026
  • In traditional settings, people often feel rushed, intimidated, and unseen.
    — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
Definition of intimidated
Verb
  • For over two years, a 16-year-old transgender girl says she was bullied, excluded and discriminated against by her teammates and coaches at the Capital Crew youth rowing program housed at the Sacramento State Aquatic Center.
    — Tarini Mehta, Sacbee.com, 12 Aug. 2026
  • Airing on March 18, 1975, the episode was focused on the Evans family’s young son Michael Evans (Ralph Carter), who was being bullied at school for his lunch money by classmate Eddie (Doug Grant).
    — Rosy Cordero, Deadline, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of bullied
Adjective
  • Bellucci plays Giulio’s mother in an aristocratic Sicilian family that leaves her feeling oppressed.
    — Georg Szalai, HollywoodReporter, 8 Aug. 2026
  • At the end, there’s a message in the credits which says that this film is dedicated to those who are oppressed and that your time will come.
    — Alex Ritman, Variety, 13 July 2026
Definition of oppressed
Verb
  • Fig, a dog from Tulare County, disappeared after becoming frightened by fireworks and gunfire during Fourth of July celebrations, according to authorities.
    — Denis Akbari, USA Today, 22 July 2026
  • Fig, an Australian shepherd, ran away from home after getting frightened by July Fourth fireworks.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 21 July 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • Just as iconic is the song’s inclusion in the classic 2003 comedy Old School, starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn as three downtrodden thirtysomethings who start their own fraternity.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 9 July 2026
  • The series tracks the pair’s investment in Wrexham AFC, a once-downtrodden team in Wales that has since risen to the verge of a promotion to the Premier League, the highest tier of British pro soccer.
    — Dade Hayes, Deadline, 30 June 2026
Definition of downtrodden
Verb
  • The ones who are guessing or scared or covering a gap in their own thinking are the ones who dress uncertainty up in language that sounds important.
    — Jeremy Macliver, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Gamache immediately raced his boat toward the group, and the approaching vessel apparently scared the alligator away.
    — Amber Harding OutKick, FOXNews.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • Pour into a tall glass, fill with more crushed ice, and top with the sherry.
    — Jeremy Repanich, Robb Report, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The architects used building materials like bricks made of crushed sand and ash residue that have been found to be effective insulators, deflecting heat.
    — Kamala Thiagarajan, NPR, 1 Aug. 2026
Definition of crushed
Verb
  • Opponents said that earlier ordinance, which allowed home sizes to more than double to 3,000 square feet, threatened to turn the island into Georgia’s next coastal development hot spot.
    — Adam Van Brimmer, AJC.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Biden gave him a presidential pardon after congressional Republicans threatened him with criminal charges over his handling of COVID-19.
    — Michael Collins, USA Today, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of threatened

Browse Nearby Words

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Cite this Entry

“Browbeaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/browbeaten. Accessed 13 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of browbeaten for Spanish Speakers

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