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1
as in strangled
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
unfortunately, the robbers were stifled when they got trapped in the airless bank vault
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in swallowed
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
stifled a yawn
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in muffled
to deaden the sound of
he stifled a cough with his hand
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Recent Examples of stifled
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 June 2026
The war has stifled the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
—Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
And while the state has seen strong GDP growth in recent months, business groups still worry that this economic success could be stifled by limited job growth and economic uncertainty in the wake of federal policy changes.
—P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2026
Embarrassed in the first period, stifled in the second, the Avs did something that almost never happens in this town with this team.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
The Vikings are always well coached under Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who has often stifled Shanahan offenses with his creative blitzes and disguised coverages.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
Redick added that part of what Holmgren has done, overhelping on defense and forcing Ayton toward the perimeter, has stifled the 7-footer’s production.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Stoner refuses to let his passion for literature be stifled.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Wednesday was the second time in as many starts that Eovaldi stifled the Yankees.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 7 May 2026
Adjective
While unfolding the investigation, Guiraudie also finds the town seething with stifled lust that’s ready to burst out volcanically—and that’s inseparable from the natural mystery and wonder of country life.
—Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Verb
Wilson felt stifled and forced a trade to Denver.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 June 2026
The war has stifled the flow of oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz.
—Damian J. Troise, Los Angeles Times, 29 May 2026
And while the state has seen strong GDP growth in recent months, business groups still worry that this economic success could be stifled by limited job growth and economic uncertainty in the wake of federal policy changes.
—P.r. Lockhart, Hartford Courant, 17 May 2026
Embarrassed in the first period, stifled in the second, the Avs did something that almost never happens in this town with this team.
—Troy Renck, Denver Post, 14 May 2026
The Vikings are always well coached under Kevin O’Connell and defensive coordinator Brian Flores, who has often stifled Shanahan offenses with his creative blitzes and disguised coverages.
—Chris Biderman, Sacbee.com, 14 May 2026
Redick added that part of what Holmgren has done, overhelping on defense and forcing Ayton toward the perimeter, has stifled the 7-footer’s production.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 10 May 2026
Stoner refuses to let his passion for literature be stifled.
—Encyclopedia Britannica, 8 May 2026
Wednesday was the second time in as many starts that Eovaldi stifled the Yankees.
—Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifled
Adjective
-
General Manager Ken Holland hinted at potentially being done after trading center Phillip Danault for a draft pick in December and acquiring Panarin at a suppressed price in February, though he has been known to under-promise often and, sometimes, over-deliver.—
Andrew Knoll,
Daily News,
3 Mar. 2026
-
Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.—
Sarah Shachat,
IndieWire,
18 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
After the brothers were arrested in Romania, the journalists Jamie Tahsin and Matt Shea reported on the women’s stories for Vice News, and another woman said that she, too, had been strangled and raped by Tate in 2014.—
Heidi Blake,
New Yorker,
8 June 2026
-
Angel Guzman, 31, of Los Angeles, was among the four members of the gang MS-13 convicted of murdering three people, one of whom was kidnapped, strangled, attacked with machetes and dismembered, in the Angeles National Forest, federal authorities said.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
7 June 2026
Verb
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Considering the associated thefts from libraries in this story, provenance—the history of the ownership of the item in question—may also get swallowed by all the hot money.—
Matthew Wills,
JSTOR Daily,
8 June 2026
-
Andy was unfamiliar with the sports world and worried that his son would get swallowed up in it.—
Tim Rohan,
NBC news,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
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
Adjective
-
Cummings has a wider range to traverse as Arnold, whose repressed rage eventually has to find an outlet.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 June 2026
-
Lewis’s wife Wren has her own repressed history with this type of disease, and the story that unfolds through their perspectives is layered, surprising and beautiful.—
Tessa Yang,
PEOPLE,
2 June 2026
Verb
-
The petition, which was granted by a federal judge, cited reports alleging that guards at the facility choked and asphyxiated Campos.—
Armando Garcia,
ABC News,
10 June 2026
-
Within days, Topanga Creek was choked with mud.—
Lila Seidman,
Los Angeles Times,
9 June 2026
Verb
-
Wall Street’s worries about rising inflation have been somewhat muted by the latest round of corporate profit reports.—
Damian J. Troise,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
-
But any relief or celebration was muted by news far too fitting for the 2026 Tigers.—
Cody Stavenhagen,
New York Times,
28 May 2026
Adjective
-
When monitoring wanes and enforcement fades, workers pay the price first in wages and safety, then in silenced voices and must choose between an empty stomach and their rights.—
Tharo Khun,
Sourcing Journal,
8 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stifled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifled. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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