as in muted
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
1
as in stifled
to deaden the sound of
the walls muffled their conversation so that only a low murmur was heard
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrapped
to surround or cover closely
the airport had been muffled in fog all morning long
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of muffled
Eric J. Wallace, Outside, 24 Oct. 2025
The woman's muffled screams are heard one more time before the video ends.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 14 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
The muffled, percussive sounds of the firing range could be heard through the walls, and my body tensed with every pop.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
The iPhone’s sounds a bit muffled.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
Starting with a muffled guitar refrain, the sound gradually builds intensity, clearly expressing the soaring emotions.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
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
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 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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
The woman's muffled screams are heard one more time before the video ends.
—Samira Asma-Sadeque, PEOPLE, 14 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
The muffled, percussive sounds of the firing range could be heard through the walls, and my body tensed with every pop.
—Rachel Monroe, New Yorker, 16 Sep. 2025
The iPhone’s sounds a bit muffled.
—Jan Wagner, San Diego Union-Tribune, 12 Sep. 2025
Starting with a muffled guitar refrain, the sound gradually builds intensity, clearly expressing the soaring emotions.
—Billboard Japan, Billboard, 3 Sep. 2019
Verb
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
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 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muffled
Adjective
-
That snare sound is as instantly identifiable as Miles Davis’s muted horn or Eddie Van Halen’s pyrotechnic neck tapping.—
John Lingan,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
-
With an understated mix of blue and yellow tones that provide warmth but still feel muted.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Between hugs and stifled tears, players walked up to sift through them.—
Mitch Bannon,
New York Times,
2 Nov. 2025
-
While some dreams are realized, others are stifled or pushed aside altogether.—
Aramide Tinubu,
Variety,
29 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
On the sweet side — wrapped bundt cakes, tins filled with dainty cookies as well as brownies, tarts, pies and beverages.—
David Moin,
Footwear News,
5 Nov. 2025
-
Grande recently wrapped filming the new installment of the Meet the Parents film franchise, Focker In-Law.—
Armando Tinoco,
Deadline,
5 Nov. 2025
Adjective
-
Her sculptural bookshelf and semicircular floor lamps possess a molten heft—their softened edges appearing raw and time-weathered.—
Leonora Epstein,
Architectural Digest,
7 Nov. 2025
-
The Steamer 30—a foldable bag created in the early 1900s to fit in the travel trunks of that era—has been reimagined with a more softened, contemporary structure.—
Rachel Cormack,
Robb Report,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The Fitzgerald's final moments shrouded in mystery, Lightfoot's mournful song, the number of lives lost, and the size of the ship alone led her to quickly become the most famous shipwreck in Michigan.—
Sarah Moore,
Freep.com,
4 Nov. 2025
-
Despite decades of research and debate, the final moments the following day are still shrouded in mystery.—
Caitlin Looby,
jsonline.com,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
That feeling of being safely enveloped, comforted, and held stayed with him.—
Matthew Kayser,
USA Today,
3 Nov. 2025
-
Scientists observed an icy core enveloped by a coma, the luminous halo of gas and dust that forms when solar heat vaporizes volatile materials.—
Hannah Parry,
MSNBC Newsweek,
29 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
The teaser opens with a hushed, reverent moment in the recording studio.—
Okla Jones,
Essence,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Gathered around the couch, in a spacious living room soundtracked by hushed jazz piano, her little sister disassociates with headphones while her pops casually chats to her stepmother; observing from a wheelchair is her 94-year-old great-grandmother.—
Alphonse Pierre,
Pitchfork,
30 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Compost bins should be enclosed.—
Kelli Arseneau,
jsonline.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Surveillance video shows two masked men entering through an interior hallway of the storage facility before exiting into an outdoor area enclosed by a metal fence.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Muffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muffled. Accessed 13 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share