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
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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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Recent Examples of stifled
Justin Chang, New Yorker, 5 Dec. 2025
Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The Angels’ offense was stifled in a 10-inning, 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners during their home opener Friday night in front of 44,931 fans at Angel Stadium.
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Academic journals struggled to put out issues, stifled by high printing costs and staff layoffs, scrounging for enough articles to fill their pages and paying subscribers to read them.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
While there is no law in Connecticut explicitly prohibiting the use of plug-in panels, also known as balcony solar, the need for interconnection agreements with local utilities and a lack of clear regulations has effectively stifled their widespread adoption, experts say.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
Fisherman and former drug addict Dave has lived his whole life there, equally stifled and saved by his surroundings.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
But rather than breathing a little more life into a group that had begun playing with an already pretty good pulse, his presence mystifyingly stifled it.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026
The future Hall of Famer had been successfully stifled in the second half of Monday’s game, with the Lakers double-teaming him into five turnovers and just two points.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 19 Mar. 2026
Two changes in particular stifled condo construction.
—M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 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
In response, Varsity and USASF have argued that the Open Championship’s own growth, both in terms of participant numbers and event revenue, undermines the notion that the defendants illegally stifled competition.
—Daniel Libit, Sportico.com, 8 Apr. 2026
The Angels’ offense was stifled in a 10-inning, 3-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners during their home opener Friday night in front of 44,931 fans at Angel Stadium.
—Anthony Solorzano, Los Angeles Times, 4 Apr. 2026
Academic journals struggled to put out issues, stifled by high printing costs and staff layoffs, scrounging for enough articles to fill their pages and paying subscribers to read them.
—Literary Hub, 1 Apr. 2026
While there is no law in Connecticut explicitly prohibiting the use of plug-in panels, also known as balcony solar, the need for interconnection agreements with local utilities and a lack of clear regulations has effectively stifled their widespread adoption, experts say.
—John Moritz, Hartford Courant, 25 Mar. 2026
Fisherman and former drug addict Dave has lived his whole life there, equally stifled and saved by his surroundings.
—Guy Lodge, Variety, 24 Mar. 2026
But rather than breathing a little more life into a group that had begun playing with an already pretty good pulse, his presence mystifyingly stifled it.
—Sam McDowell, Kansas City Star, 23 Mar. 2026
The future Hall of Famer had been successfully stifled in the second half of Monday’s game, with the Lakers double-teaming him into five turnovers and just two points.
—Benjamin Royer, Oc Register, 19 Mar. 2026
Two changes in particular stifled condo construction.
—M. Nolan Gray, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 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
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After kidnapping the child, Horner strangled Athena and dumped her body in the Trinity River in rural Wise County.—
Harriet Ramos,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Lisbet Fariñas testified during the Spencer hearing of Rafael Andres, 61, who in 2005 beat, stabbed and strangled her sister, Yvette Fariñas.—
Grethel Aguila,
Miami Herald,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Duke swallowed an olive the size of my head.—
Nick Canepa,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
4 Apr. 2026
-
If the design takes New York’s fallback course, the library could be swallowed into a plain brown box.—
Justin Davidson,
Curbed,
1 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
While Hazel Avenue is a busy street, traffic cannot be heard from inside the house and is muffled in the front yard.—
David Caraccio,
Sacbee.com,
6 Apr. 2026
-
Their calls are often muffled by static and wind because his cousin uses two phones to conduct them — one to call Fattahi and the other to reach his mother.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Niall is mild-mannered, repressed, and fearful of facing his sexuality.—
Ryan Lattanzio,
IndieWire,
7 Apr. 2026
-
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
Verb
-
The suit alleges the assailants also grabbed Escobedo from behind twice and choked him unconscious in a manner that could have killed him.—
City News Service,
Daily News,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Officers wrote Russell punched, dragged, choked, beat her.—
Meredith Colias-Pete,
Chicago Tribune,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Earth Tone Collection currently offers several neutral colors—desert sand, warm beige, dune taupe, washed khaki, dusty olive, soft clay, muted terracotta and light stone—and the clients can create other custom colors.—
Angela Velasquez,
Footwear News,
10 Apr. 2026
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The mic is also detachable and includes an indicator noting whether you're muted or need to talk to your teammates at a moment's notice.—
George Yang,
PC Magazine,
10 Apr. 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 13 Apr. 2026.
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