Synonyms of holding back

holding back

verb

present participle of hold back

1

as in impeding

to create difficulty for the work or activity of

the only thing holding them back from joining the swim team is lack of transportation

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impeding
• hampering
• hindering
• interfering (with)
• embarrassing
• tying up
• obstructing
• handicapping
• blocking
• holding up
• giving a hard time
• cramping one's style
• inhibiting
• cramping
• delaying
• clogging
• manacling
• encumbering
• hobbling
• disrupting
• stymieing
• restraining
• handcuffing
• shackling
• fettering
• constraining
• tying
• bogging (down)
• short-circuiting
• trammeling
• binding
• hog-tying
• thwarting
• frustrating
• checking
• curbing
• braking
• hedging (in)
• reining
• retaining
• balking
• stifling
• retarding
• hemming (in)
• tethering
• leashing
• choking
• chaining
• arresting
• barricading
• strangling
• baffling
• blockading
• haltering
• confining
• sabotaging
• derailing
• foiling
• suffocating
• miring
• stumping
• roadblocking
• smothering
• repressing
• muzzling
• suppressing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• helping
• assisting
• facilitating
• aiding
• opening
• making way
• clearing
• releasing
• freeing
• liberating
• promoting
• unplugging
• smoothing
• loosening
• encouraging
• unstopping
• unclogging
• furthering
• untying

2

as in stifling

to refrain from openly showing or uttering

held back her tears until she was alone

Synonyms & Similar Words

• stifling
• choking (back)
• suppressing
• swallowing
• repressing
• containing
• controlling
• managing
• strangling
• smothering
• submerging
• pocketing
• sinking
• governing
• bottling up
• checking
• curbing
• quashing
• quelling
• bridling
• muffling
• squelching

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• taking out
• expressing
• releasing
• venting
• unleashing
• loosing

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of holding back

Bolsonaro argues Brazil's hefty national debt is holding back the economy and a top campaign adviser has pledged to reduce it by slashing spending along the lines of Argentina's Javier Milei. — Catherine Osborn, NPR, 2 Oct. 2026

Quick wins will not fix the structural flaws holding back growth. — Dan Restrepo, Foreign Affairs, 30 Sep. 2026

Still, there are good reasons Trump may be holding back, not least to avoid opening a potentially painful second front, just seven months after launching his damaging and ongoing conflict with Iran. — Matthew Chance, CNN Money, 24 Sep. 2026

Shailene Woodley’s stylist isn’t holding back after the actress’s Emmys look caused a stir on social media. — Hannah Malach, InStyle, 17 Sep. 2026

Logs can do the job of beaver dams holding back and spreading a stream. — Brandon Loomis, AZCentral.com, 8 Sep. 2026

Nine weeks before the midterms, House Republicans aren’t holding back their criticism of the president’s latest tariff moves. — Eleanor Mueller, semafor.com, 3 Sep. 2026

In 2023, thawing permafrost led to a rock collapse into South Lhonak Lake in Sikkim, India, generating a wave that burst through the moraine holding back the glacial lake. — Umesh Haritashya, The Conversation, 29 Aug. 2026

Iris Skrami, chief executive officer of Renoon, said many companies are still holding back on their DPP work. — Evan Clark, Footwear News, 28 Aug. 2026