as in suppressed
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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
Synonyms & Similar Words
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
American-Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
But the surging inflation, lack of a large base of consumers with high disposable incomes, and low broadband access that have challenged other African streaming services have stifled Showmax’s ambitions.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
It’s stifled some of the league’s best offenses.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
That narrative stifled research on Polish antisemitism and Poles who killed Jews during and after the Holocaust.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026
The pandemic—a period of isolation, stifled desire, and spare cash that would usually have been spent on night life—provided Fedorova with the opportunity for an introduction into fetish gear.
—Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
Under Tiley’s leadership, Tennis Australia chose to settle its piece of an antitrust lawsuit aimed at the Grand Slams and major pro tours over wage suppression and stifled sponsorship opportunities.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Aaron Peskin, a former San Francisco supervisor and outspoken progressive, said a law Wiener wrote inadvertently stifled local housing and affordability efforts.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
There, again, her ambition and dreams were stifled by her present-day reality, trapped in a body that was anathema to her.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 18 Feb. 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
The Texans were stifled all night, turning the ball over 26 times.
—American-Statesman Staff, Austin American Statesman, 7 Mar. 2026
But the surging inflation, lack of a large base of consumers with high disposable incomes, and low broadband access that have challenged other African streaming services have stifled Showmax’s ambitions.
—Alexander Onukwue, semafor.com, 6 Mar. 2026
It’s stifled some of the league’s best offenses.
—James L. Edwards Iii, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
That narrative stifled research on Polish antisemitism and Poles who killed Jews during and after the Holocaust.
—Shira Li Bartov, Sun Sentinel, 2 Mar. 2026
The pandemic—a period of isolation, stifled desire, and spare cash that would usually have been spent on night life—provided Fedorova with the opportunity for an introduction into fetish gear.
—Lillian Fishman, New Yorker, 25 Feb. 2026
Under Tiley’s leadership, Tennis Australia chose to settle its piece of an antitrust lawsuit aimed at the Grand Slams and major pro tours over wage suppression and stifled sponsorship opportunities.
—Michael McCann, Sportico.com, 25 Feb. 2026
Aaron Peskin, a former San Francisco supervisor and outspoken progressive, said a law Wiener wrote inadvertently stifled local housing and affordability efforts.
—ABC News, 22 Feb. 2026
There, again, her ambition and dreams were stifled by her present-day reality, trapped in a body that was anathema to her.
—Chris Murphy, Vanity Fair, 18 Feb. 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
-
An autopsy showed Dee Warner was strangled and had suffered blunt force trauma.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Police took the wire Sharrey was strangled with to area farm stores to try to identify who purchased it, but were told the style of wire hadn’t been produced in several years.—
Audrey Abrahams,
NBC news,
8 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Like fire swallowed setting everything alight inside.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
9 Mar. 2026
-
Phillipsburg declared a state of emergency last month when a sinkhole swallowed a dump truck.—
Nick Caloway,
CBS News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Highway traffic may have muffled the sound of gunshots.—
Graham Womack
Updated January 15,
Sacbee.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Using context-aware algorithms, this technology can, for example, be used to help distinguish between speech and noise, predict and suppress unwanted clamor in real time, and attempt to clean up speech that is muffled or distorted.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Tel Aviv, Israel — Undermining this moment of relief for many repressed Iranians is that killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is a perilously simple fix to a very complex problem.—
Nick Paton Walsh,
CNN Money,
1 Mar. 2026
-
And that probably comes from seeing women in my life who have been so repressed that the eyes become their only real means of communication.—
Kennedy French,
Variety,
28 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
In his first public comments since the conflict choked Middle East energy shipments, the head of the region’s largest oil producer said Aramco can divert more crude to an alternative route that avoids the Strait of Hormuz.—
Bloomberg,
Oc Register,
10 Mar. 2026
-
Roads in the Lebanese capital were choked with evacuating traffic as smoke rose over the city’s southern districts.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
7 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
And the violent scenes aren’t grotesque or didactic — think of Miles’ muted trumpet sound reconfigured as resurrection visuals, of his ability to play and stage ballads so well that their uptempo momentum moves into territories too macabre to mute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
4 Mar. 2026
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That said, comments made post-meeting about the future of interest rates do have the potential to impact the mortgage rate climate, even if that's muted compared to what borrowers would have otherwise seen with an actual cut.—
Matt Richardson,
CBS News,
3 Mar. 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 14 Mar. 2026.
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