Synonyms of inhibiting

inhibiting

verb

present participle of inhibit

1

as in impeding

to create difficulty for the work or activity of

the cold inhibited her from getting much work done that morning

Synonyms & Similar Words

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

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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

2

as in controlling

to keep from exceeding a desirable degree or level (as of expression)

laws designed to inhibit the powers of the intelligence organizations

Synonyms & Similar Words

• controlling
• regulating
• curbing
• containing
• keeping
• restraining
• suppressing
• stifling
• measuring
• constraining
• governing
• taming
• holding
• checking
• stopping
• ruling
• interrupting
• pulling in
• bridling
• repressing
• impeding
• hindering
• swallowing
• blocking
• hampering
• reining (in)
• obstructing
• strangling
• arresting
• smothering
• silencing
• choking (back)
• holding back
• squelching
• muffling
• bottling (up)
• sinking
• mincing
• pocketing
• handcuffing
• muzzling
• gagging

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• losing
• loosening
• liberating
• expressing
• unleashing
• venting
• taking out
• loosing
• airing

3

as in dissuading

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

Synonyms & Similar Words

• dissuading
• discouraging
• deterring
• diverting
• repelling
• unselling

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• encouraging
• persuading
• urging
• inducing
• exhorting
• prodding
• prompting
• goading
• impelling
• egging (on)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of inhibiting

Enlicitide works by inhibiting PCSK9, a protein produced by the liver that slows the body’s ability to flush out cholesterol. — Claire Cameron, Scientific American, 16 July 2026

And while the thought of tiny bugs inhibiting our eyelashes sounds rather frightening, the reality is far less startling. — Alyssa Goldberg, USA Today, 16 July 2026

Neuropeptides Neuropeptides, short for neurotransmitter-inhibiting peptides, are the neurocosmetics with the most scientific backing to anchor their efficacy. — Deanna Pai, Vogue, 6 July 2026

Combine one part of vinegar and two parts water in a spray bottle for a DIY solution, or use a commercial mold-inhibiting cleaner. — Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 22 June 2026

What's inside the box isn't inhibiting me. — Rebecca Aizin, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026

For example, states would often impose tariffs on each other’s goods, even if those goods were moving only from Virginia to Maryland and vice versa, thereby inhibiting the development of a national market and hamstringing internal trade. — Jordan Cash, The Conversation, 8 June 2026

Mature dill plants can harm tomato plants by taking up soil nutrients and inhibiting tomato root growth. — Felicia Feaster, Martha Stewart, 4 June 2026

This follows a series of antitrust victories against the NCAA and power conferences that have upended a system long inhibiting players’ abilities to fully benefit from the wealth their talents generated. — Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 3 June 2026