Synonyms of stifled

stifled 1 of 2

adjective

as in suppressed

Related Words

• suppressed
• repressed
• silenced
• hidden
• closeted
• concealed
• personal
• surreptitious
• offstage
• offscreen
• backstage
• furtive
• restricted
• sneak
• clandestine
• conspiratorial
• underground
• collusive
• sneaky
• stealthy
• closet
• undisclosed
• underhanded
• undercover
• unsaid
• untold
• covert
• unmentioned
• silent
• classified
• underhand
• top secret
• sneaking
• unadvertised
• unannounced
• confidential
• occult
• inside
• hugger-mugger
• private
• intimate
• nonpublic
• esoteric
• hushed
• privy
• behind-the-scenes
• secret
• hush-hush

Dissimilar Words

• open
• public
• common
• proclaimed
• professed
• declared
• broadcast
• publicized
• aired
• reported
• announced
• prevailing
• general
• heralded
• blazed
• advertised
• published
• widespread
• vulgar
• prevalent
• disclosed
• popular
• current
• rife
• promulgated
• enunciated
• well-known
• spotlighted
• shared
• communal
• divulged

stifled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of stifle

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

• strangled
• choked
• smothered
• suffocated
• drowned
• destroyed
• throttled
• asphyxiated
• garroted
• dispatched
• felled
• slew
• croaked
• did in

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• inspired
• breathed
• expired
• inhaled
• exhaled
• revived
• resuscitated

2

as in swallowed

to refrain from openly showing or uttering

stifled a yawn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suppressed
• swallowed
• repressed
• controlled
• managed
• smothered
• strangled
• contained
• submerged
• choked (back)
• held back
• sank
• pocketed
• governed
• curbed
• quashed
• checked
• quelled
• muffled
• bridled
• squelched
• bottled up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expressed
• released
• took out
• unleashed
• vented
• loosed

3

as in muffled

to deaden the sound of

he stifled a cough with his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• muffled
• muted
• insulated
• softened
• padded
• subdued
• mellowed
• baffled
• dampened
• soundproofed
• toned (down)
• smothered

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increased
• enhanced
• deepened
• heightened
• strengthened
• unmuffled
• amplified
• magnified
• boosted
• stepped up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stifled

Adjective

Literature, in his view, was a susurrus of stifled screams, a missive from the netherworld of the collective imaginary. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026

Verb

The misses stifled what little momentum Kansas City had, contributing to the club’s controversial decision Wednesday to sign veteran Justin Tucker to the practice squad. — Kansas City Star, 29 Oct. 2026

Instead, Netanyahu’s governing style has stifled robust debate on national security questions and lined up Israel’s defense leadership behind the prime minister’s own uncompromising worldview that favors continuous reliance on military force. — Dalia Dassa Kaye, Foreign Affairs, 27 Oct. 2026

With good pitching come easier games, better matchups, and stifled hitters. — Outkick, FOXNews.com, 18 Oct. 2026

How often are the voices of people coming home from prison stifled? — Sean Krofssik, Hartford Courant, 18 Oct. 2026

Those games were against three of the NFL’s top defenses, including the defending-champion Seattle Seahawks, who similarly stifled Maye and the Patriots in Super Bowl LX. — Peter Sblendorio, New York Daily News, 13 Oct. 2026

Nationwide, Muslim and pro-Palestinian students argued that their speech had been stifled. — Cameron Pugh, Christian Science Monitor, 7 Oct. 2026

The most promising part for the Panthers is that Bryce Young, who leads the NFL in passing yardage, was in no way stifled Sunday. — Charlotte Observer, 5 Oct. 2026

Home buying, a traditional trigger for adding a dog to the family, has been stifled by a combination of elevated real estate prices, sluggish real wage growth and higher mortgage rates. — Robert Granader, Washington Post, 4 Oct. 2026