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
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in muffled
to deaden the sound of
he stifled a cough with his hand
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in suppressed
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifled
Ben Pickman, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
The real innovation being stifled today is the innovation that’ll never bloom, suffocated by vertical integration and acquisitions disguised as partnerships.
—Asad Ramzanali, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
The unprecedented internet blackout came without public warning and was immediately attributed to an order from the Taliban, a repressive Islamist regime that has stifled personal freedoms, particularly those of women and girls, since taking power in 2021.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
This all comes amid multiple feuds between the ADL and several Christian conservatives, including podcasters Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, and concerns over the rise in antisemitism and whether free speech is being stifled in the name of combating it.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Court filings over the past three years have detailed the decades-long saga behind both investigations, describing how police were stifled repeatedly and left with nowhere to turn, until one woman living on the streets of Fairfield came forward with a tip that changed everything.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Leaders from Center for Arizona Policy and Arizona Free Enterprise Club said already the law had stifled their ability to collect donations and conduct advocacy work.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Her coming-of-age drama, which world premieres at the San Sebastian Film Festival’s New Directors sidebar, follows 13-year-old Laura who feels stifled in her new family.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Attempts to ban the tourist attraction by mayors have been stifled for years, in part from opposition by a labor union representing carriage drivers and owners who deny allegations of animal mistreatment.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Young stifled the 2021 Finals MVP throughout.
—Ben Pickman, New York Times, 6 Oct. 2025
The real innovation being stifled today is the innovation that’ll never bloom, suffocated by vertical integration and acquisitions disguised as partnerships.
—Asad Ramzanali, Time, 6 Oct. 2025
The unprecedented internet blackout came without public warning and was immediately attributed to an order from the Taliban, a repressive Islamist regime that has stifled personal freedoms, particularly those of women and girls, since taking power in 2021.
—Hilary Whiteman, CNN Money, 3 Oct. 2025
This all comes amid multiple feuds between the ADL and several Christian conservatives, including podcasters Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson, and concerns over the rise in antisemitism and whether free speech is being stifled in the name of combating it.
—Jordan King, MSNBC Newsweek, 1 Oct. 2025
Court filings over the past three years have detailed the decades-long saga behind both investigations, describing how police were stifled repeatedly and left with nowhere to turn, until one woman living on the streets of Fairfield came forward with a tip that changed everything.
—Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 29 Sep. 2025
Leaders from Center for Arizona Policy and Arizona Free Enterprise Club said already the law had stifled their ability to collect donations and conduct advocacy work.
—Taylor Seely, AZCentral.com, 27 Sep. 2025
Her coming-of-age drama, which world premieres at the San Sebastian Film Festival’s New Directors sidebar, follows 13-year-old Laura who feels stifled in her new family.
—Anna Marie De La Fuente, Variety, 22 Sep. 2025
Attempts to ban the tourist attraction by mayors have been stifled for years, in part from opposition by a labor union representing carriage drivers and owners who deny allegations of animal mistreatment.
—Eduardo Cuevas, USA Today, 20 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifled
Verb
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Scott was convicted of participating in the 1981 murder of Larry Miner, who was tied up, beaten, strangled and stabbed.—
Tony Saavedra,
Oc Register,
30 Sep. 2025
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Kruse said Hoffman likely died within minutes of being strangled with a paracord, The Gazette reports.—
KC Baker,
PEOPLE,
24 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Defenders downed or suppressed 439 drones and 39 missiles, the air force said, with eight other missiles failing to reach their targets.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
5 Oct. 2025
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Advertisement Amazon still faces another lawsuit brought by the FTC in 2023, which alleged that the company is an exploitative monopoly and illegally suppressed competition among online marketplaces.—
Miranda Jeyaretnam,
Time,
26 Sep. 2025
Verb
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This is the perfect opportunity for the Business Roundtable to advocate for its members in a forceful, direct challenge to the administration, but it has been perplexingly muffled.—
Jason Ma,
Fortune,
21 Sep. 2025
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That should tug on our hearts since Willa’s worth caring for, but the emotional heft between dad and daughter gets muffled since there’s just not enough oxygen given to those scenes.—
Randy Myers,
Mercury News,
19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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Though beloved by many straight men for the wrong reasons, the central character in American Psycho — a movie directed by a woman, written by a woman, and based on a novel written by a gay man — has always been paradigmatic of repressed same-sex desire.—
Mathew Rodriguez,
Them.,
23 Sep. 2025
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Also, give your shadow self a hug and tend to the repressed parts of your heart and nature.—
Lisa Stardust,
Refinery29,
18 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Russell said into the microphone, her voice choked with regret, stumbling over each word.—
Emily Nussbaum,
New Yorker,
6 Oct. 2025
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Jane testified during the trial that Combs once broke down four doors trying to get her and then choked, punched, and kicked her in a rage.—
Nancy Dillon,
Rolling Stone,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Art concerns particularities of human existence framed by the big picture, but the picture has swallowed the frame.—
Kate Colby
October 2,
Literary Hub,
2 Oct. 2025
-
Reeves and Winter are often swallowed up by the bottomless void their characters occupy, with very little room to let loose and play.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
29 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Miami went into the half with momentum and with the sellout crow in Tallahassee muted.—
Miami Herald,
Miami Herald,
5 Oct. 2025
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Market reaction to the QFI consultation was muted, in contrast to the buying spree triggered by potential lifting of foreign ownership limits.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
3 Oct. 2025
Verb
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Instead, the Cowboys played Cover 2, and that look was smothered, so Love checked the ball down to running back Emanuel Wilson, who tried to make cornerback DaRon Bland miss with an inside move but was tackled for a loss of 1 with the clock running.—
Matt Schneidman,
New York Times,
29 Sep. 2025
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In Philadelphia, they are traditionally served with ribeye steak, smothered with provolone or Cheez-Whiz in a white bun.—
Ella Gonzales,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifled. Accessed 10 Oct. 2025.
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