DUMBING Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

dumbing

verb

present participle of dumb

as in shushing

to stop the noise or speech of the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbing

Verb

Trae Young won Madison Square Garden’s undying enmity in the 2021 playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks, punctuating game-breaking shots by shushing the crowd or bowing to the fans and waving goodbye.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.

— Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026

Definition of shushing

Verb

Prosecutors caught the elder Spitze helping his son contact four minor victims to try silencing them with gifts or orders to destroy evidence.

— Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026
Response to ‘silencing’ claims As part of the suit, the city filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of silencing

Verb

During the third act, in a cunning effect, when anyone picks up a phone, the screen’s contents are displayed on a wall as the lights fade, muting the friends onstage.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026
But the field has struggled to figure out a means of delivering RNA-muting molecules into organs and tissues beyond the liver, which has limited their reach.

— Elaine Chen, STAT, 9 June 2026

Definition of muting

Verb

If you’re used to traditional decluttering strategies that focus on sorting and purging, house hushing might feel strange.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2026
There are a lot of ways to declutter out there—the pile method and the discernment method are two of them, and now, everyone’s hushing their house.

— Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025

Definition of hushing

Verb

Five minutes later, Messi gave Miami the lead, curling his shot in tight space past three defenders, quieting the sellout crowd at Subaru Park.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026
Performed beneath a continuous gentle rain of warm seawater, this experience combines mineral-rich marine exposure and thermal comfort soothing aching muscles along the way and quieting the mind.

— Rana Good, Condé Nast Traveler, 1 Aug. 2026

Definition of quieting

Verb

One of the more surreal responses to that experience is applause, which ripples through the audience of Paranormal Activity a beat after all the major scares, like rain settling in after a peal of thunder.

— Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026
Guests can bring their own blankets, food and drinks (including alcoholic ones) before settling in for a movie under the stars.

— Beatrice Verhoeven, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026

Definition of settling

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Browse Nearby Words

dumbheads

dumbing

dumbing down

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“Dumbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbing. Accessed 29 Aug. 2026.

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Synonyms of dumbing

verb

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