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
Relevance
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
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stifled
Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Its key interest rate is at 17 percent, but between October 2024 and June 2025, it was set at 21 percent to curb inflation, prompting criticism from business leaders that this rate stifled investment.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The Indians started to put together another seemingly productive drive until a fumble stifled the plans, and Lowell took over in Billerica territory.
—Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
That could have stifled the Dodgers’ offensive night.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
However, the Bills quarterback was stifled by a stern Falcons defense at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, throwing 15-of-26 for 180 yards with two touchdowns and two picks.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Europe has traditionally held one of the strongest tech regulation frameworks globally, which critics say has stifled innovation.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Young people felt stifled and disenfranchised, setting the stage for subcultures to flourish.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 8 Oct. 2025
They're usually stifled by monotonous or isolated work.
—William Vanderbloemen, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
Adjective
Moving guys on and off the field delayed Dowdle’s impact and stifled Hubbard’s opportunity for beat-by-beat momentum.
—Diamond Vences, Charlotte Observer, 26 Oct. 2025
Its key interest rate is at 17 percent, but between October 2024 and June 2025, it was set at 21 percent to curb inflation, prompting criticism from business leaders that this rate stifled investment.
—Brendan Cole, MSNBC Newsweek, 22 Oct. 2025
The Indians started to put together another seemingly productive drive until a fumble stifled the plans, and Lowell took over in Billerica territory.
—Erik Anderson, Boston Herald, 18 Oct. 2025
That could have stifled the Dodgers’ offensive night.
—Andy McCullough, New York Times, 14 Oct. 2025
However, the Bills quarterback was stifled by a stern Falcons defense at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, throwing 15-of-26 for 180 yards with two touchdowns and two picks.
—George Ramsay, CNN Money, 14 Oct. 2025
Europe has traditionally held one of the strongest tech regulation frameworks globally, which critics say has stifled innovation.
—Rachyl Jones, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2025
Young people felt stifled and disenfranchised, setting the stage for subcultures to flourish.
—Sophia Panych, Allure, 8 Oct. 2025
They're usually stifled by monotonous or isolated work.
—William Vanderbloemen, CNBC, 7 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifled
Verb
-
Detectives determined that Spillers had been strangled based on bruising that could be seen on her neck, detectives wrote in the affidavit.—
Shambhavi Rimal,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
24 Oct. 2025
-
The criticism even included attacks on her appearance and calls for her to be burned, raped or strangled.—
Janelle Griffith,
PEOPLE,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
However, these cells are normally suppressed by testosterone and kept in check by the body’s overall hormone balance.—
Dr. Jamin Brahmbhatt,
CNN Money,
26 Oct. 2025
-
The autocratic czarist regime ruled with an iron hand and suppressed opposition through censorship, banishment, and executions.—
Karl Ove Knausgaard,
New Yorker,
21 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The audio is muffled and at times difficult to discern.—
Lucien Bruggeman,
ABC News,
14 Oct. 2025
-
The summer noise of saplings and shrubs and bug nests and grass and flowers had been muffled by the snow.—
Hazlitt,
Hazlitt,
8 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That said, an appearance of Frankenstein’s monster in the film’s climax – where Ana has run away from her repressed family – directly invokes the murder of Little Maria in Whale’s film.—
Rory Doherty,
Vulture,
20 Oct. 2025
-
My book is a novel about memory, about a character whose repressed memories of childhood are gradually returning for better or for worse.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The figure of Achilles, a warrior who singlehandedly choked a river with dead enemies before taking on the river god himself, provided a model for Alexander the Great and persists in contemporary popular entertainment, political speech, and military culture in celebrations of shock and awe.—
Elizabeth D. Samet,
Foreign Affairs,
29 Oct. 2025
-
On Tuesday, a vehicle breakdown on the westbound upper deck choked the morning commute into Marin.—
Adrian Rodriguez,
Mercury News,
23 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
Fangs tend to turn up in snake poop after they are swallowed.—
Laura Baisas,
Popular Science,
23 Oct. 2025
-
What epic tales might try to picture the explosion of the supervolcano in the Rocky Mountains and the gigantic crater lake of bubbling acid that eons ago swallowed places called Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming?—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
The expletives aired uncensored during the NBC live telecast and Peacock’s simulcast but were muted during the West Coast broadcast and in versions later posted online, including on YouTube, according to the New York Post.—
Mitchell Peters,
Billboard,
19 Oct. 2025
-
Leaf-peeping season has arrived in the Northeast and beyond, but weeks of drought have muted this year’s autumn colors, and sent leaves fluttering to the ground earlier than usual.—
Jessica Coacci,
Fortune,
14 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
These downhome potatoes earn their Western stripes by sizzling in bacon grease before getting smothered with barbecue sauce, cheese, peppers, and plenty of crispy bacon.—
Maggie Meyer Glisan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
23 Oct. 2025
-
Over time, it was smothered by sand brought in to replenish the beach.—
Greg Allen,
NPR,
21 Oct. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifled. Accessed 29 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share