SHELVED Synonyms: 29 Similar and Opposite Words

shelved

verb

past tense of shelve

as in postponed

to assign to a later time let's shelve the project for now

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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 shelved Meta completed one round of layoffs in May (about 8,000 people), then quietly shelved the bigger second wave. — Lydia Zhang, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Aware of women’s electoral weight, activists are seeking to leverage that power to seek guarantees that such promises will not later be shelved. — ABC News, 30 Sep. 2026 The bus-priority design was first floated during the Adams administration, but was shelved in 2025. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 23 Sep. 2026 The government shelved the plan, and Tung resigned in 2005, citing health reasons. — Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026 The topic was raised when Harington was asked about HBO’s Snow spinoff sequel that was developed several years ago and then shelved. — James Hibberd, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026 Others, including Flutterwave, have quietly shelved Nasdaq ambitions. — Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 16 Sep. 2026 But federal government attorneys informed the court late Monday that the board has shelved the proposal from its September meeting agenda. — Joey Garrison, USA Today, 15 Sep. 2026 The answers have divided one of the city's oldest neighborhoods and shelved a proposal to give part of Ansley Park historic protections. — Kaley Fedko, CBS News, 14 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for shelved

Verb

Lee has demanded a review of the execution procedures and indefinitely postponed Pike's execution and another that had been scheduled for this year.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 3 Oct. 2026
His state trial, which includes a second-degree murder charge, was set to begin in September, but a judge postponed it to give prosecutors time to respond to a double jeopardy motion from his attorneys.

— Joe Kottke, NBC news, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of postponed

Verb

Trump’s proclamation would have delayed compliance with the tougher standards from 2027 until 2029, though EPA ultimately repealed them in February.

— Luke Fountain, CNBC, 29 Sep. 2026
Flights are delayed, resulting in crew rest violations, maintenance schedule conflicts, cargo rerouting decisions, fuel reallocation and thousands of passenger rebooking scenarios.

— Abha Dogra, Forbes.com, 29 Sep. 2026

Definition of delayed

Verb

The official causes of death for both were deferred, pending further investigation.

— Iris Kwok, Los Angeles Times, 3 Oct. 2026
That mandatory inclusion cannot be deferred again, but gain from a separate inclusion event may qualify for a new deferral if timely reinvested.

— Fernando Jimenez, Forbes.com, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of deferred

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shelve

shelved

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“Shelved.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/shelved. Accessed 4 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of shelved

verb

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