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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
Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Critics said the two security laws have stifled the city's Western-style civil liberties that Beijing had promised to maintain when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
Wilson felt stifled and forced a trade to Denver.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 June 2026
However, the more decor displayed in your living room, the more stifled the space will feel.
—Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 4 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
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
This poor girl no longer has an identity beyond pleasing her male companion, who becomes both stifled by alarmed by this sudden, non-consensual change in personality.
—Josh Weiss, Forbes.com, 11 June 2026
Critics said the two security laws have stifled the city's Western-style civil liberties that Beijing had promised to maintain when the former British colony returned to Chinese rule in 1997.
—ABC News, 8 June 2026
Wilson felt stifled and forced a trade to Denver.
—Mike Sando, New York Times, 5 June 2026
However, the more decor displayed in your living room, the more stifled the space will feel.
—Ashlyn Needham, The Spruce, 4 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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifled
Adjective
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In the specialized program, Levasseur received a different treatment called radically open dialectical behavior therapy, which focuses on tapping into suppressed emotions and helping people move away from black-and-white thinking patterns.—
Kate Snow,
NBC news,
9 June 2026
-
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
Verb
-
An autopsy determined Wilton was strangled, stabbed multiple times and suffered from blunt-force trauma to the head and face.—
DeJanay Booth-Singleton,
CBS News,
15 June 2026
-
Her clothes had been cut off, she was hogtied with an extension cord and a drawstring, and she had been raped, beaten, and strangled, court records say.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
In 2013, a 100-foot-wide sinkhole swallowed entire multi-story residential buildings at Summer Bay Resort in Clermont.—
Martin E. Comas,
The Orlando Sentinel,
14 June 2026
-
The night started with a guarantee, got swallowed by 3-pointers, turned sour at the whistle and somehow ended with the Garden shaking beneath a celebration nobody saw coming.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Their replies are muffled by their hands blocking their mouths.—
Larisha Paul,
Rolling Stone,
29 Apr. 2026
-
He’s perched on the second floor above the courtyard, a few bustling parties muffled in the background.—
Nicole Letts,
Southern Living,
15 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
The look of sheer repressed, stymied rage/laughter on Raph’s face when Paul sniffs the Oreos instead is one of the episode’s biggest laughs.—
Tasha Robinson,
Vulture,
16 June 2026
-
There is something all too American, Baker argues, about believing that bucolic scenery and bourgeois pretensions can keep the repressed and foundational histories of this country’s utmost oppressions at bay.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
4 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
-
In the case of the sisters, Gaff hogtied the girls, cut off their clothes with a knife, raped them repeatedly, beat them, choked them, and shocked one of them with an electrical cord, court records say.—
Amanda Lee Myers,
USA Today,
10 June 2026
Verb
-
Perhaps end-of-year festivities might be muted this year.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
10 Dec. 2025
-
But enthusiasm elsewhere was muted.—
ELIZABETH ECONOMY,
Foreign Affairs,
9 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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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 17 Jun. 2026.
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