as in restrained
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1
as in hampered
to create difficulty for the work or activity of
the cold inhibited her from getting much work done that morning
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2
as in controlled
to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)
laws designed to inhibit the powers of the intelligence organizations
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3
as in dissuaded
to steer (a person) from an activity or course of action
a fundamental sense of propriety should have inhibited you from making a drunken spectacle of yourself
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Recent Examples of inhibited
Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 27 May 2026
This really is a time to be less inhibited about going out.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 25 May 2026
School is the crucible where raw vitality encounters the collective will to impose order and control but also to bring cultural richness to lives that might otherwise remain inhibited and crude.
—Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Her last and only boyfriend, Tim, would have been too inhibited.
—Cassandra Neyenesch, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Participants who appeared engaged, responsive, and comfortable in the interaction, maintaining eye contact and seeming open rather than inhibited, were far more likely to be liked.
—Big Think, 18 Mar. 2026
Callie hangs out with her more inhibited best friend, Minnie Dunn, played spectacularly well by Katherine Mallen Kupferer.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
There are students who feel inhibited from expressing their Jewish or Zionist identity because of the atmosphere of the atmosphere of intimidation or harassment on college campuses.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Nini and Lali seemed happier without him—more relaxed, less inhibited.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Hurricane formation can be inhibited by strong wind shear over the Atlantic, stirred by the pattern of warmer-than-normal waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
So contaminated was the air that water droplets could cling to pollutants, slowing evaporation; the resulting scrim of moisture inhibited vertical air movement, trapping more pollution in turn.
—Scott W. Stern, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2026
Replays showed Gaudreau slashed Wallstedt’s glove and inhibited his ability to make the save.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
How will that be taken care of and how will the ships that are there, that are not moving, start to move and be moving with a degree of confidence that they will not be inhibited by what remains of the Iranian either boats or gun emplacements along that strait?
—Major Garrett, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
This film explores the many ways that art can be destroyed or inhibited, including a NATO practice base making too much noise, the destruction of sets, and personal injury.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Even with the partial shutdown of several gates during construction that inhibited Southwest Airlines’ long-term expansion plans here, air travel was robust enough last year to compensate for that.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Interestingly, one study found that bamboo compounds inhibited the formation of furan and reduced the formation of acrylamide – the toxic chemicals produced through frying or roasting some foods.
—New Atlas, 20 Jan. 2026
Adjective
Both players were so inhibited for the final game of the set that the level of play resembled something from a local park.
—Charlie Eccleshare, New York Times, 27 May 2026
This really is a time to be less inhibited about going out.
—Joe Hernandez, NPR, 25 May 2026
School is the crucible where raw vitality encounters the collective will to impose order and control but also to bring cultural richness to lives that might otherwise remain inhibited and crude.
—Tim Parks, The New York Review of Books, 4 Apr. 2026
Her last and only boyfriend, Tim, would have been too inhibited.
—Cassandra Neyenesch, New Yorker, 29 Mar. 2026
Participants who appeared engaged, responsive, and comfortable in the interaction, maintaining eye contact and seeming open rather than inhibited, were far more likely to be liked.
—Big Think, 18 Mar. 2026
Callie hangs out with her more inhibited best friend, Minnie Dunn, played spectacularly well by Katherine Mallen Kupferer.
—Baz Bamigboye, Deadline, 13 Feb. 2026
There are students who feel inhibited from expressing their Jewish or Zionist identity because of the atmosphere of the atmosphere of intimidation or harassment on college campuses.
—Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Aug. 2025
Nini and Lali seemed happier without him—more relaxed, less inhibited.
—Tao Lin, Harpers Magazine, 20 Aug. 2025
Verb
Curiosity itself is not disappearing, but it can be inhibited by several factors including things like fear, assumptions, technology, and interactions in workplace environments.
—Dr. Diane Hamilton, Forbes.com, 22 May 2026
Hurricane formation can be inhibited by strong wind shear over the Atlantic, stirred by the pattern of warmer-than-normal waters in the equatorial Pacific Ocean.
—Dinah Voyles Pulver, USA Today, 15 Apr. 2026
So contaminated was the air that water droplets could cling to pollutants, slowing evaporation; the resulting scrim of moisture inhibited vertical air movement, trapping more pollution in turn.
—Scott W. Stern, The New York Review of Books, 13 Apr. 2026
Replays showed Gaudreau slashed Wallstedt’s glove and inhibited his ability to make the save.
—Michael Russo, New York Times, 8 Apr. 2026
How will that be taken care of and how will the ships that are there, that are not moving, start to move and be moving with a degree of confidence that they will not be inhibited by what remains of the Iranian either boats or gun emplacements along that strait?
—Major Garrett, CBS News, 8 Mar. 2026
This film explores the many ways that art can be destroyed or inhibited, including a NATO practice base making too much noise, the destruction of sets, and personal injury.
—Eric Farwell, Entertainment Weekly, 21 Feb. 2026
Even with the partial shutdown of several gates during construction that inhibited Southwest Airlines’ long-term expansion plans here, air travel was robust enough last year to compensate for that.
—Lori Weisberg, San Diego Union-Tribune, 18 Feb. 2026
Interestingly, one study found that bamboo compounds inhibited the formation of furan and reduced the formation of acrylamide – the toxic chemicals produced through frying or roasting some foods.
—New Atlas, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for inhibited
Adjective
-
Flowering woody shrubs that bloom on new wood tolerate or thrive on fairly aggressive pruning, while those that bloom on old wood require more careful, restrained pruning.—
Marie Iannotti,
The Spruce,
29 May 2026
-
Even out of context, the first meeting at the train station of Celia Johnson and Trevor Howard is ineffably moving, a model of restrained desire.—
David Rooney,
HollywoodReporter,
27 May 2026
Verb
-
But like Hulst, he was also hampered by injuries.—
Scott M. Reid,
Oc Register,
30 May 2026
-
Clark is finally at full strength again after, hampered by a groin injury, played in only 13 games a year ago.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
29 May 2026
Verb
-
The paint is deftly mottled but its handling lacks the prowess of her later work (see, for example, Being Beamed, 1984, a fantasia of extraterrestrial teleportation in which the watercolor is sumptuous but perfectly controlled).—
Jeremy Lybarger,
Artforum,
2 June 2026
-
One interested investor was a major Iranian telecom company owned in part, through layers of subsidiaries, by Setad-e Ejrayi, a bonyad controlled by Khamenei.—
Bozorgmehr Sharafedin,
The Atlantic,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Perhaps a police report search as to any candidate filing for the House or Senate should be made part of their filing, any expense credited toward their filing fee, so that those with criminal history may be dissuaded.—
Lucas Robinson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
-
In response, while the DFL already subsidises clubs willing to tour internationally, many teams — dissuaded by the cost and the level of competition in major markets — have been reluctant to take up that offer.—
Sebastian Stafford-Bloor,
New York Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Waterhouse is the opposite of aloof.—
Ellise Shafer,
Variety,
28 May 2026
-
Jimmy is a compulsively magnetic figure who keeps everyone at arm’s length, including the audience, and for a film that embodies a voluptuous sense of tragedy, that leaves it undeniably aloof.—
Alison Willmore,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
Verb
-
Aid workers have also told CNN that the dismantling of the US Agency for International Development (USAID) and US funding cuts carried out prior to the outbreak have impeded the response.—
Erikas Mwisi,
CNN Money,
24 May 2026
-
In a twist that feels somewhere between Misery and Triangle of Sadness, it's revealed that Linda has not only hidden the true nature of the island from Bradley, but has intentionally impeded them from getting help.—
Brianna Zigler,
Entertainment Weekly,
21 May 2026
Verb
-
Even inside the courtroom, where cameras were not allowed, enthusiasm for Jackson’s music could not be contained.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 June 2026
-
That sense of exclusivity carries over to the rest of the public areas, and the fireplace lounge, which is as popular with guests as with locals, feels contained but not walled off.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
4 June 2026
Verb
-
At first it was allowed, then discouraged, then more firmly refused.—
Vogue,
Vogue,
1 June 2026
-
Its journal was essentially an academic publication, and images were discouraged.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
1 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Inhibited.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/inhibited. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
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