as in muted
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1
as in stifled
to deaden the sound of
the walls muffled their conversation so that only a low murmur was heard
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrapped
to surround or cover closely
the airport had been muffled in fog all morning long
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muffled
Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
That quiet was punctuated only by muffled bangs, as Sugar Bowl ski patrollers set off explosives in the peaks above to mitigate the danger of an avalanche inbounds at the resort.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
My sisters teased me about my muffled giggles under the covers in the middle of the night.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
However, her panicked words are met with muffled sounds and a quick hang-up.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Her voice is muffled because her face is pressed against his chest.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
The form can capture, perhaps better than any other, the muffled quality of cold afternoons and days spent indoors.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
There’s a muffled quality to the voice, and all his vowels seem to bend in the middle.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Ear Pain or Pressure A feeling of fullness in your ears, pain, or muffled hearing often means fluid has built up behind your eardrum.
—Health, 3 Dec. 2025
Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
Other symptoms include ringing, a sensation like something is stuck in the ears or conversations sounding muffled.
—ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
While Hazel Avenue is a busy street, traffic cannot be heard from inside the house and is muffled in the front yard.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
The sound of a backstage vocal warmup was muffled by thick stage curtains.
—Melanie Asmar, Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2026
Bunny, wearing a knitted Balaclava and carrying a clip board, called out commands to the chief electrician in a voice muffled with pain.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Using context-aware algorithms, this technology can, for example, be used to help distinguish between speech and noise, predict and suppress unwanted clamor in real time, and attempt to clean up speech that is muffled or distorted.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2026
The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that’s just the TV overlords punching air.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Day was dedicated to the bit, making Hernandez crack with muffled laughter.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
That quiet was punctuated only by muffled bangs, as Sugar Bowl ski patrollers set off explosives in the peaks above to mitigate the danger of an avalanche inbounds at the resort.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
My sisters teased me about my muffled giggles under the covers in the middle of the night.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
However, her panicked words are met with muffled sounds and a quick hang-up.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Her voice is muffled because her face is pressed against his chest.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
The form can capture, perhaps better than any other, the muffled quality of cold afternoons and days spent indoors.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
There’s a muffled quality to the voice, and all his vowels seem to bend in the middle.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Ear Pain or Pressure A feeling of fullness in your ears, pain, or muffled hearing often means fluid has built up behind your eardrum.
—Health, 3 Dec. 2025
Verb
He’s perched on the second floor above the courtyard, a few bustling parties muffled in the background.
—Nicole Letts, Southern Living, 15 Apr. 2026
Other symptoms include ringing, a sensation like something is stuck in the ears or conversations sounding muffled.
—ABC News, 12 Apr. 2026
While Hazel Avenue is a busy street, traffic cannot be heard from inside the house and is muffled in the front yard.
—David Caraccio, Sacbee.com, 6 Apr. 2026
The sound of a backstage vocal warmup was muffled by thick stage curtains.
—Melanie Asmar, Denver Post, 20 Mar. 2026
Bunny, wearing a knitted Balaclava and carrying a clip board, called out commands to the chief electrician in a voice muffled with pain.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Using context-aware algorithms, this technology can, for example, be used to help distinguish between speech and noise, predict and suppress unwanted clamor in real time, and attempt to clean up speech that is muffled or distorted.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2026
The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that’s just the TV overlords punching air.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muffled
Adjective
-
Hathaway's long brown hair cascaded past her waist, while her makeup consisted of rosy blush and a muted pink lip.—
Hannah Malach,
InStyle,
13 Apr. 2026
-
Magaletti ventures a tentative introduction of brushes on snares; following the muted peal of distant thunder, upsammy chimes in with a plangent synthesizer sequence reminiscent of Arovane and other IDM producers from around the turn of the millennium.—
Philip Sherburne,
Pitchfork,
13 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
In response, Varsity and USASF have argued that the Open Championship’s own growth, both in terms of participant numbers and event revenue, undermines the notion that the defendants illegally stifled competition.—
Daniel Libit,
Sportico.com,
8 Apr. 2026
-
The Angels’ offense was stifled in a 10-inning, 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners during their home opener Friday night in front of 44,931 fans at Angel Stadium.—
Anthony Solorzano,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Apr. 2026
Verb
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During both Coachella weekends in the Southern California desert, some attendees sported bands wrapped around their drinks that lit up when tapped together.—
Anthony Robledo,
USA Today,
18 Apr. 2026
-
Prosecutors say Freeman strangled Seitz with a shoelace and wrapped her body in what appeared to be bedsheets before putting her in the trunk of her vehicle.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
17 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
No mixer required This recipe calls for softened butter, and for stirring everything together in one-bowl, so no mixer is required!—
Josh Miller,
Southern Living,
14 Apr. 2026
-
The ground beef was chopped fine on the grill and folded together with sweet, softened onions and perfectly melted American cheese, all tucked into a soft roll with crisp lettuce and tomato for balance.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
9 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Typically, when a book is acquired by a publishing imprint, those deals are shrouded in mystery.—
Josh Rivera,
USA Today,
19 Apr. 2026
-
But the process is still shrouded in mystery.—
Tereza Pultarova,
Space.com,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Creation of a legendary company amid tumult Plenty of drama enveloped the run-up to the creation of General Electric in 1892.—
Michael Kilian,
USA Today,
15 Apr. 2026
-
This new round of chaos only feeds the anxiety that has enveloped the California Democratic Party for months, stirred by fears that the lack of a singular party front-runner might lead to two Republicans winding up on the November ballot.—
Seema Mehta,
Los Angeles Times,
13 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
That a hushed ballad would be so widely embraced is remarkable.—
George Varga,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Garth, who poses as a Guardian and shares Mayday information with her in hushed hallway whispers.—
Clare Mulroy,
USA Today,
16 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, under the aforementioned definitions, only mowed grass areas which are enclosed and inaccessible to residents appear to be nonfunctional turf.—
Kelly G. Richardson,
Oc Register,
17 Apr. 2026
-
Apple’s Vision Pro videos, known as Apple Immersive Video, are playable in virtual reality, which means users are fully enclosed within the scene.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
16 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muffled. Accessed 22 Apr. 2026.
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