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

Many French students returned to stifling, overcrowded, teacherless classrooms (with no substitute teacher for weeks) as the deadly heatwaves in Europe extended far past their usual summer boundary. — Sarah Gidick, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2026

Detroit will get its yards and points — even against Brian Flores’ stifling defense. — Los Angeles Times, 29 Oct. 2026

Trailing 10-3 at halftime, Clemson used a stifling defense to set up three third quarter scores — two coming on Nolan Hauser field goals and another on Reynolds' go-ahead touchdown run off a quarterback draw. — ABC News, 24 Oct. 2026

The midday heat is stifling, even more so for Eilyn Solano, who has been sheltering in a tent for over 100 days. — CNN Money, 24 Oct. 2026

Brown was part of stifling a KC law that was going to protect against housing discrimination on the basis of income source or criminal history in 2025. — Sophie Lindberg, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026

Debt acts as a ceiling on private investment, further stifling growth. — Masood Ahmed, Fortune, 17 Oct. 2026

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