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
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
Although muffled voices can be heard, the video is too dark to identify people.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 21 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
Only the sounds of our muffled footsteps, the chitter of songbirds, and the breathy cool of an early-autumn breeze in the treetops break the silence.
—Eric J. Wallace, Outside, 24 Oct. 2025
Divers have told tales of muffled voices, phantom lights and shadows, and other eerie encounters during their time beneath the sea.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 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
The audio is muffled and at times difficult to discern.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2025
The summer noise of saplings and shrubs and bug nests and grass and flowers had been muffled by the snow.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
This is the perfect opportunity for the Business Roundtable to advocate for its members in a forceful, direct challenge to the administration, but it has been perplexingly muffled.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
That should tug on our hearts since Willa’s worth caring for, but the emotional heft between dad and daughter gets muffled since there’s just not enough oxygen given to those scenes.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Robbie hoped their full mouths muffled the sound.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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
Although muffled voices can be heard, the video is too dark to identify people.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 21 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
Only the sounds of our muffled footsteps, the chitter of songbirds, and the breathy cool of an early-autumn breeze in the treetops break the silence.
—Eric J. Wallace, Outside, 24 Oct. 2025
Divers have told tales of muffled voices, phantom lights and shadows, and other eerie encounters during their time beneath the sea.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
Highway traffic may have muffled the sound of gunshots.
—Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 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
The audio is muffled and at times difficult to discern.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2025
The summer noise of saplings and shrubs and bug nests and grass and flowers had been muffled by the snow.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
This is the perfect opportunity for the Business Roundtable to advocate for its members in a forceful, direct challenge to the administration, but it has been perplexingly muffled.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
That should tug on our hearts since Willa’s worth caring for, but the emotional heft between dad and daughter gets muffled since there’s just not enough oxygen given to those scenes.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Robbie hoped their full mouths muffled the sound.
—Rachel McRady, PEOPLE, 16 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muffled
Adjective
-
The tight weave and muted colors get the spirit of the wall-hanging just right, and the botanical print makes a great value-add against more modern colors and textures (dark brown chenille or white linen are coming to mind, for example).—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
20 Jan. 2026
-
Keep your look simple with a blue that's equal parts muted and vibrant.—
Kara Jillian Brown,
InStyle,
20 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Minnesota got power play goals from Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek and a shorthanded goal from Matt Boldy, but was stifled defensively much of the night, most notably at even strength.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
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Professionalism has wrongly shifted from emotional control to emotional suppression, leading to lifeless workplaces, stifled creativity, and poor decision-making.—
Benjamin Laker,
Forbes.com,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
But in the second season of the series, which wrapped last Sunday, a new sense of uncertainty, reflection, and maturity grips the central characters, making for even better television.—
Michael M. Rosen,
The Washington Examiner,
9 Jan. 2026
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Our weeklong tester was wrapped in Velvet Red Pearl paint, deep and rich in style.—
Marc D. Grasso,
Boston Herald,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Add 1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings, and 8 garlic cloves, crushed, and cook, stirring often, until softened and light golden around the edges, 3–4 minutes.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
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What is offered in Nike’s turquoise sneaker is a softened, market-safe version of his legacy, stripped of its demands.—
Debbie Millman,
Time,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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But a new study has cast doubt on the idea that the intriguing world shrouded in ice could indeed harbor extraterrestrial life deep in its vast ocean of liquid saltwater.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
8 Jan. 2026
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The star, Fomalhaut, stands out as one of the brightest in the night sky and is known to be shrouded in bands of dust and debris.—
Claire Cameron,
Scientific American,
23 Dec. 2025
Verb
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Most guests arrive by water taxi, entering a marble-floored lobby enveloped by original frescoes and architectural motifs that reflect the building’s 18th-century royal heritage.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Jeffrey Traviss King Neighbors insist that tension, with King at the center, has enveloped the middle-class neighborhood for upwards of eight years.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Omniscience gives way to a motley chorus of inner monologues and hushed conversations, kitchen table squabbles, restless thoughts, wistful memories.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
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The hushed silence spoke with more power than the words that eventually followed.—
Jordan McPherson,
Miami Herald,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
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This year, the carpet was also enclosed in a tent, and the temperature within it rose throughout the afternoon.—
Rebecca Ford,
Vanity Fair,
12 Jan. 2026
-
The bones and cartilage are enclosed in a membrane that’s filled with an oily liquid called synovial fluid.—
Sarah Lindenfeld Hall,
Popular Science,
7 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muffled. Accessed 29 Jan. 2026.
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