as in isolating
to deliberately ignore or treat rudely
in his sad and lonely old age, he stiff-armed even once-beloved friends
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Recent Examples of stiff-arming
The 24-song set reeled in an impressive 280,000 equivalent album units, stiff-arming a surging Bad Bunny from pole position.
—
Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2026
Indiana kept its circle tight and held its belief tighter, stiff-arming infiltrators and doubters with equal authority.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
Carl Lamarre, Billboard, 19 Feb. 2026
Indiana kept its circle tight and held its belief tighter, stiff-arming infiltrators and doubters with equal authority.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 20 Jan. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stiff-arming
Verb
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Being awake so much can be an isolating experience.—
Shayla Love,
New Yorker,
18 Feb. 2026
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While volunteering in inpatient rehabilitation, Rathna noticed how isolating long hospital stays could be.—
Nancy Badertscher,
AJC.com,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Whether a client was pushed out after rejecting a supervisor’s advances, denied leave during pregnancy, or targeted for speaking up, the firm builds cases that reflect the full picture of workplace dynamics.—
Daniel Fusch,
USA Today,
20 Feb. 2026
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Viganò, who is the Vatican’s former ambassador to the United States, was excommunicated in 2024 for refusing to recognize Pope Francis’ authority and rejecting the Second Vatican Council that modernized the Roman Catholic Church.—
Nick Vivarelli,
Variety,
20 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In January, the governor took the unusual step of snubbing Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller, a fellow Republican state officeholder, and throwing his support behind political newcomer Nate Sheets in the primary.—
John C. Moritz,
Austin American Statesman,
15 Feb. 2026
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Why did Maxwell speak to DOJ while snubbing Congress?—
Bart Jansen,
USA Today,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
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While there are dismemberments and other bits of gruesome violence to be found in the film, Badlands is largely aimed at endearing its audience rather than repulsing them.—
Richard Lawson,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Nov. 2025
Verb
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With equal panache, and without cutting away, the narrative focus is handed like a baton in a relay race to the arriving Mayor Dumont (Josse De Pauw) and his daughter and press attaché Marie (Violet Braeckman).—
Siddhant Adlakha,
Variety,
14 Feb. 2026
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The Legislature should focus on lowering costs by delivering permanent property tax relief, restraining state and local spending, cutting red tape that drives up housing and energy costs, and expanding reliable energy production to keep utilities affordable.—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
14 Feb. 2026
Verb
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Some flowers, like marigolds and nasturtiums, have proven pest-repelling abilities.—
Brandee Gruener,
Southern Living,
16 Feb. 2026
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Almost all companions on this list use rosemary for its strong scent as a natural deterrent, but onions come with a repelling smell of their own.—
Ashlyn Needham,
The Spruce,
16 Feb. 2026
Verb
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The subtext to the litigation is Oakley’s personal grievance against Dolan, whom the ex-player has long criticized, in part for slighting him compared to other Knicks legends.—
Michael McCann,
Sportico.com,
3 Nov. 2025
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And now, fans are listening to soul remixes and slighting hip-hop’s resonance.—
Andre Gee,
Rolling Stone,
23 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stiff-arming.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stiff-arming. Accessed 22 Feb. 2026.
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