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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in suppressed
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Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifled
Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Watch The Incredibles films on Disney+ Luca Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are sea monsters who feel stifled in the water.
—Sydni Ellis, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
In recent years, Georgian Dream has copied Russian legislation to crack down on civil society, arrested political opponents, stifled independent media and halted its efforts to join the European Union, in violation of the country’s constitution.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
And with creativity and innovation so discouraged, an employee who thrives with an entrepreneurial spirit might feel stifled or frustrated.
—Julia Sullivan, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
In the background, policy advocates are pushing for a safe harbor model as a legal middle ground, where innovation can flourish without being stifled by excessive regulation.
—Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Liquidity challenges in a global economy stifled by inflation have raised the urgency of fund managers to generate returns for investors, drawing more attention to secondaries.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Villa’s transfer activity this summer has been stifled by various financial sanctions, such as the UEFA Squad Cost Rule (SCR), which explains that a club can only spend up to 71 per cent of overall revenue on player salaries.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Chili’s has been winning at fast-casual dining this year while competitors have stifled due to tariffs and changing dining habits.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Detroit was stifled all night by the new look Packers defense with Micah Parsons in the fold, unable to generate the big plays that were a staple of the Detroit offense in past years when former Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson was calling the plays.
—Reice Shipley, MSNBC Newsweek, 8 Sep. 2025
Watch The Incredibles films on Disney+ Luca Luca (Jacob Tremblay) and Alberto (Jack Dylan Grazer) are sea monsters who feel stifled in the water.
—Sydni Ellis, PEOPLE, 7 Sep. 2025
In recent years, Georgian Dream has copied Russian legislation to crack down on civil society, arrested political opponents, stifled independent media and halted its efforts to join the European Union, in violation of the country’s constitution.
—Laura Kelly, The Hill, 5 Sep. 2025
And with creativity and innovation so discouraged, an employee who thrives with an entrepreneurial spirit might feel stifled or frustrated.
—Julia Sullivan, USA Today, 4 Sep. 2025
In the background, policy advocates are pushing for a safe harbor model as a legal middle ground, where innovation can flourish without being stifled by excessive regulation.
—Sean Lee, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Liquidity challenges in a global economy stifled by inflation have raised the urgency of fund managers to generate returns for investors, drawing more attention to secondaries.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Villa’s transfer activity this summer has been stifled by various financial sanctions, such as the UEFA Squad Cost Rule (SCR), which explains that a club can only spend up to 71 per cent of overall revenue on player salaries.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 20 Aug. 2025
Chili’s has been winning at fast-casual dining this year while competitors have stifled due to tariffs and changing dining habits.
—Sydney Lake, Fortune, 14 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifled
Verb
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Kennedy, 71, has spasmodic dysphonia, a rare neurological condition in which the muscles that open and close his vocal cords spasm involuntarily, creating a strained or strangled quality to his speech.—
Sandee LaMotte,
CNN Money,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The women were strangled and rendered unconscious during the attack.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Defenders shot down or suppressed 112 drones, the air force said.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
8 Sep. 2025
-
Until the 1960s, members of this Indigenous minority were discouraged from reindeer herding, and the church and state suppressed their language and culture.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
7 Sep. 2025
Verb
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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
-
Wind and road noise were nicely muted with the top up, and thanks to the 911’s sleek figure and retracting wind deflector—which doesn’t automatically deploy, thankfully—wind noise was impressively muffled at highway pace.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
25 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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Comedian Alex Edelman plays Adam, a repressed father of four.—
Judy Berman,
Time,
3 Sep. 2025
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Only in this case, the repressed figure at the movie’s center also happens to be the president of Italy.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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De’Andre Johnson ambushed and choked the agent in a DCS office, livestreaming the attack on Facebook.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
6 Sep. 2025
-
Court documents now identify him as the victim of a brutal assault during which he was bound by a bedsheet, choked and beaten.—
Ryan Murphy,
IndyStar,
3 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Memories from Louisiana In Plaquemines Parish, seven-year-old Corrine English lost nearly everything when the small fishing town of Buras was swallowed by floodwaters.—
Sarah Alegre,
FOXNews.com,
4 Sep. 2025
-
The wind howled, rattling metal signs and tugging at our clothes as the dust swallowed everything in sight.—
Shaun McKinnon,
AZCentral.com,
2 Sep. 2025
Verb
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International reaction to the attack has been muted, with only a few voices condemning the lethal strike.—
Emily Goodin,
Miami Herald,
5 Sep. 2025
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From stern to bow, the boat was a lesson in restrained elegance, with plenty of teak wood and muted, calming shades.—
Rachel Wallace,
Architectural Digest,
4 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Bernie Sanders was smothered and locked out by the corporate Democrats and media.—
Kim Gordon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Sep. 2025
-
The service is graceful and nimble, too; diners are taken care of without being smothered, while tablecloths are meticulously ironed out (right in front of guests) when tables turn.—
Katie Chang,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifled. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
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