1
as in compressed
to become smaller in size or volume due to loss of contents
We kept her birthday decorations up until the balloons started deflating.
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2
as in emptied
to make smaller in size or volume by removing the contents
Please deflate the air mattress and fold it up before you leave.
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3
as in reduced
to make or become lower in amount or value
The excess supply deflated prices. The company's stock has deflated.
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4
as in weakened
to cause to lose force or effectiveness
Her cutting remark deflated his ego. The lawsuit deflated their hopes for a quick resolution.
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of deflated
Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 16 Apr. 2026
The Illini had trouble getting in an extended flow and at times looked deflated.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Any sense of achievement is just so deflated.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2026
Feeling like a deflated balloon.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
If nothing else, Rodgers would take out the frustration of a first-round playoff defeat on the 22-year-old Bullock and deny him a chance to celebrate in front of 67,297 deflated fans.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Some baristas may feel deflated watching Starbucks employees notch union victories without ratified contracts to show for it.
—Bryce Covert, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Nov. 2025
Brady himself was caught throwing deflated footballs.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
There was even a deflated version of his first look, where the material turned into an embroidery-like flurry.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
But that’s when Doncic fell, and the wheels that had already deflated, fell off.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
During her own eighth grade trip to Washington, DC, Laymon remembers feeling deflated, after not seeing women’s stories reflected at any of the attractions in the nation’s capital.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
After more than one week of treatment, X-rays show that Zoe is mostly deflated.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2026
Khosla’s remarks recalled those from economic expert Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, who told Fortune in January that so many goods have been deflated in price that people don’t fully appreciate the benefits.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Yes, Pettersson’s been hindered by a disappointing group of wingers (Evander Kane, Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser) on his line, which has almost certainly deflated his point production.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Through age or choice, that voice has deflated considerably, sounding more like Caine from Menace II Society than Smokey from Friday.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
Her hair was the wrong blonde, her Birkin deflated, her coat cheaply fitted.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Adjective
From my tried-and-true tactics (getting 10,000 daily steps, running, doing Pilates, not snacking after dinner) to emerging advice (lifting heavier weights, eating all the protein), each fresh burst of motivation only leaves me more deflated.
—Petra Guglielmetti, Glamour, 16 Apr. 2026
The Illini had trouble getting in an extended flow and at times looked deflated.
—Colleen Kane, Chicago Tribune, 5 Apr. 2026
Any sense of achievement is just so deflated.
—Simon Vozick-Levinson, Rolling Stone, 16 Feb. 2026
Feeling like a deflated balloon.
—Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 20 Jan. 2026
If nothing else, Rodgers would take out the frustration of a first-round playoff defeat on the 22-year-old Bullock and deny him a chance to celebrate in front of 67,297 deflated fans.
—Michael Silver, New York Times, 13 Jan. 2026
Some baristas may feel deflated watching Starbucks employees notch union victories without ratified contracts to show for it.
—Bryce Covert, Bon Appetit Magazine, 12 Nov. 2025
Brady himself was caught throwing deflated footballs.
—Evan Massey, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Sep. 2025
There was even a deflated version of his first look, where the material turned into an embroidery-like flurry.
—Lily Templeton, Footwear News, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
The crowd, which included Brazilian great Ronaldo, seemed stunned and deflated.
—Miami Herald, 5 Apr. 2026
But that’s when Doncic fell, and the wheels that had already deflated, fell off.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 3 Apr. 2026
During her own eighth grade trip to Washington, DC, Laymon remembers feeling deflated, after not seeing women’s stories reflected at any of the attractions in the nation’s capital.
—Karissa Waddick, USA Today, 27 Mar. 2026
After more than one week of treatment, X-rays show that Zoe is mostly deflated.
—Ryan Brennan, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Mar. 2026
Khosla’s remarks recalled those from economic expert Kent Smetters, director of the Penn Wharton Budget Model, who told Fortune in January that so many goods have been deflated in price that people don’t fully appreciate the benefits.
—Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 6 Mar. 2026
Yes, Pettersson’s been hindered by a disappointing group of wingers (Evander Kane, Jake DeBrusk, Brock Boeser) on his line, which has almost certainly deflated his point production.
—Harman Dayal, New York Times, 2 Mar. 2026
Through age or choice, that voice has deflated considerably, sounding more like Caine from Menace II Society than Smokey from Friday.
—Dylan Green, Pitchfork, 24 Feb. 2026
Her hair was the wrong blonde, her Birkin deflated, her coat cheaply fitted.
—Rachel Tashjian, CNN Money, 19 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for deflated
Adjective
-
When first responders arrived at the scene, authorities discovered that staff at the venue and wedding guests had already provided initial first aid to some guests and used ladders to help those who fell through the collapsed floor.—
Thao Nguyen,
USA Today,
22 Mar. 2026
-
But even in a semi-collapsed state, people want family and children and vacations, and so Caroline somewhat reluctantly joins Adam and a cohort of others on Haven.—
John Warner,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Other robotic surgery offerings The Vimana drone system uses the company’s MANTRA platform’s robotic surgery capability compressed into a battlefield-portable form factor.—
Abhishek Bhardwaj,
Interesting Engineering,
9 Apr. 2026
-
These boneless organisms fossilized as biofilm — they were rapidly buried and compressed between layers of rock, leaving behind two-dimensional impressions of their organic tissues.—
Mindy Weisberger,
CNN Money,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The man then got into the driver’s seat of the truck, backed it up toward the property and fully emptied the contents of the dumpster onto the lawn.—
Greg Norman-Diamond,
FOXNews.com,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Miami then emptied its bench late in the blowout win.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
And Utah temporarily reduced its state fuel tax, but only by 6 cents on the gallon, bringing its state gas tax to 32 cents on the gallon for the remainder of 2026.—
Kathryn Watson,
CBS News,
16 Apr. 2026
-
Iran’s enrichment capabilities have been reduced by bombing this year and last.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
With the war in Iraq raging, the 84-year-old pope, weakened by Parkinson’s disease and less than a year from his death, condemned the war in Iraq with Bush sitting right next to him.—
Orlando Sentinel,
The Orlando Sentinel,
15 Apr. 2026
-
Hezbollah, though weakened in its last war with Israel that ended in November 2024, still fires drones, rockets and artillery daily into northern Israel and on ground troops inside Lebanon.—
Kareem Chehayeb,
Los Angeles Times,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Jaylin Williams plowed through a screening Murray as Jokic drained a triple, enabling the Nuggets to tie it with a fortuitous 4-point play.—
Bennett Durando,
Denver Post,
12 Apr. 2026
-
But what happens when that colorful explosion leaves stains long after the water has drained?—
Caroline Lubinsky,
Martha Stewart,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The rial has plunged 8% against the dollar on the black market since the war started, according to the Economist.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
12 Apr. 2026
-
Minutes before, a six-minute communications blackout with mission controllers made for a nail-biting finish to the mission as the capsule plunged through Earth’s atmosphere.—
Denise Chow,
NBC news,
11 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The cost of maintaining death row prisoners and a number of botched executions in recent years—lethal injections or gas administrations that take far too long to work, for example—have also undermined confidence.—
The Week US,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
-
The union’s credibility is also undermined by its response to the fact-finding process.—
Marc Joffe,
Daily News,
13 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Deflated.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/deflated. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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