Synonyms of stifling

stifling 1 of 2

adjective

as in close

lacking fresh air

the lecture hall was stifling until we opened several windows

Synonyms & Similar Words

• close
• suffocating
• stuffy
• breathless
• thick
• oppressive
• heavy
• airless
• unventilated
• fuggy

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breezy
• airy
• refreshing
• sweet
• bracing
• reviving
• brisk
• restorative
• unstuffy
• invigorating
• ventilated
• refreshed

stifling

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stifle

1

as in strangling

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

• strangling
• choking
• suffocating
• smothering
• drowning
• destroying
• asphyxiating
• throttling
• slaying
• garroting
• dispatching
• felling
• doing in
• croaking

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• breathing
• inhaling
• inspiring
• expiring
• exhaling
• reviving
• resuscitating

2

as in suppressing

to refrain from openly showing or uttering

stifled a yawn

Synonyms & Similar Words

• suppressing
• swallowing
• repressing
• controlling
• smothering
• strangling
• managing
• choking (back)
• containing
• holding back
• submerging
• sinking
• pocketing
• curbing
• governing
• quelling
• quashing
• checking
• muffling
• bridling
• squelching
• bottling up

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• expressing
• venting
• releasing
• taking out
• unleashing
• loosing

3

as in muffling

to deaden the sound of

he stifled a cough with his hand

Synonyms & Similar Words

• muffling
• muting
• insulating
• softening
• padding
• mellowing
• baffling
• toning (down)
• smothering
• dampening
• subduing
• soundproofing

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• increasing
• deepening
• enhancing
• strengthening
• unmuffling
• heightening
• amplifying
• boosting
• magnifying
• stepping up

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stifling

Adjective

For all the deserved talk about the Knicks’ dynamic offense, the defense has been far more stifling than their reputation suggests. — Fred Katz, New York Times, 15 May 2026

Her mother, who had a staid upbringing in California, came to New York in the early sixties looking for someplace more diverse and less stifling. — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Apr. 2026

Verb

The worm, however impossible to miss, is shoved, bumped, and pushed around with everyone else in the stifling subway car. — Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026

The Canal+ Group’s shuttering of the Showmax streaming service earlier this year was just the latest example of how a distribution chokepoint is stifling Africa’s creative boom. — Christopher Vourlias, Variety, 13 Oct. 2026

Two years ago this weekend, the vibe at the festival was stifling. — Katie Bain, Billboard, 8 Oct. 2026

Most critically, the stifling political atmosphere Xi has created is draining Beijing’s ability to respond to emerging problems as earlier generations once did. — Carl Minzner, Foreign Affairs, 5 Oct. 2026

The government has been widely accused of stealing elections, jailing dissidents and stifling freedom of speech. — Clyburn Saint John, Los Angeles Times, 28 Sep. 2026

While a label like ‘woman’ has always felt stifling and strange, ‘daughter’ doesn’t carry that heaviness. — Literary Hub, 24 Sep. 2026

The reform plans include a potentially painful overhaul of the creaking pension system, a reduction of Germany’s stifling bureaucracy and cuts to income tax for low- and middle-income families. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

The Jets' stifling defense forced a turnover early in the fourth quarter when Kingsley Enagbare forced Lloyd to fumble and Harrison Phillips recovered. — Cbs New York Team, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2026