muffled 1 of 2

adjective

as in muted

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muffled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of muffle
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

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
Adjective
The video’s moodiness subtly underscores the fact that the lion’s share of these tracks are built on one muffled breakbeat, which tolls like clockwork across the LP. — Hattie Lindert, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026 Barreto’s muffled voice is heard responding. — Diego Mendoza, CNN Money, 28 June 2026 From the pig trailer came a bang, followed by a muffled squeal. — Will MacKin, New Yorker, 28 June 2026 The company warns, in the muffled prose of a risk factor, that a credit downgrade could push up its borrowing costs and even change the terms of its data-center leases. — Dara-Abasi Ita, Forbes.com, 25 June 2026 Rain hammered Independence Boulevard hard enough to blur the windshield, and the voice taking my order came through muffled and distant, though no more confusing than a late-night order at Cook Out. — Evan Moore, Charlotte Observer, 29 May 2026 But a patient pugilist values the muffled thud of shots to the resolve. — Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 5 May 2026 Those inside the nearby ballroom could hear muffled pops. — Jaclyn Diaz, NPR, 27 Apr. 2026 Brian Gibson’s gangrenous bass riffs and gibbering, muffled vocals have even more gonzo energy than usual, while Chippendale mixes bombast and finesse with his customary flair. — Reed Jackson, SPIN, 24 Apr. 2026
Verb
Missing crucial orders because a voice is muffled, or struggling to pull out an emergency fire shelter because a mask is in the way, could be the difference between life and death. — Noah Haggerty, Los Angeles Times, 2 July 2026 Everything feels muffled, with such heavy carpeting. — Olivia Kan-Sperling, Artforum, 2 May 2026 Their replies are muffled by their hands blocking their mouths. — Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 29 Apr. 2026 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muffled
  1. muted
  2. stifled
  3. wrapped
  4. softened
  5. shrouded
  6. hushed
  7. enveloped
  8. enclosed
Adjective
  • Despite the film’s slow-cinema touches, its storytelling structure and emotionality — even though muted and quiet — recall instead the melodrama at its most facile.
    — Elena Lazic, Variety, 25 July 2026
  • Anger was further fueled by what was perceived as a muted response from the government about the protesters demands, which included compensation for the families of students who died by suicide after the exam paper leaks.
    — Mithil Aggarwal, NBC news, 24 July 2026
Definition of muted
Verb
  • What’s less arguable is the quality of Kinnear’s performance, a fine study in comic understatement at first that modulates into a delicately limned portrait of pain barely stifled.
    — Leslie Felperin, HollywoodReporter, 21 July 2026
  • While some economists express pessimism about future growth due to diminishing returns, Nobel laureates like Joel Mokyr and Philippe Aghion remain optimistic, arguing new technologies like AI enable exponential progress if innovation isn't stifled.
    — Bill Conerly, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026
Definition of stifled
Verb
  • Willmore drove it to the farm and wrapped its legs with wire, preparing it for hanging.
    — Andrew Carter, Chicago Tribune, 19 July 2026
  • The Yes tour wrapped a month later with a gig in Fort Wayne, Indiana, that marked keyboardist Patrick Moraz’s final show in the band.
    — Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 18 July 2026
Definition of wrapped
Adjective
  • Funk assures that the softened, decomposing cardboard will allow plants to grow through.
    — Patricia Shannon, Southern Living, 10 July 2026
  • This one hit the softened green just right and rolled in for an eagle.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 25 June 2026
Definition of softened
Verb
  • Though astronomers have been studying V445 Puppis for two decades, much of the phenomena associated with it were shrouded in mystery due to a vast cloud of dusty debris that surrounded this nova.
    — Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 July 2026
  • His new sci-fi thriller, Her Private Hell, promises similar vibes, as a serial killer stalks through a futuristic city shrouded in fog.
    — Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 24 July 2026
Definition of shrouded
Adjective
  • Running that corner of the internet is the SIE crew, who have been dropping ghostly sub-10-minute EPs semi-regularly that really dial in on their hushed mania.
    — Alphonse Pierre, Pitchfork, 17 July 2026
  • Museum staff and British and French diplomats who had been watching in hushed silence broke into applause.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 10 July 2026
Definition of hushed
Verb
  • Chicago experienced some of the country’s worst air quality on Thursday and is still enveloped in a cloud of smoke.
    — Dakota Smith, CNN Money, 17 July 2026
  • Footage circulated of chaos ensuing on the beach in the jet’s wake, as sand enveloped people and towels, tents and chairs got blown around.
    — Eleanor Jacobs, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026
Definition of enveloped
Verb
  • Drivers can use restraining devices like a harness with a seat belt tether or booster seats to keep small dogs enclosed.
    — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 21 July 2026
  • The entire primary loop, containing the reactor core, control mechanisms, and steam generation assemblies, is enclosed within a single cylindrical steel capsule.
    — Aman Tripathi, Interesting Engineering, 19 July 2026
Definition of enclosed

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Cite this Entry

“Muffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muffled. Accessed 26 Jul. 2026.

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