1
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
the conversation was somewhat stilted as we didn't seem to share any interests
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in formal
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details
a stilted letter of apology that was written and accepted with equal measures of insincerity
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stilted
There are [the Sama-Bajau], people in Indonesia who live on stilted homes and live on rafts.
—
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Yet Seehorn and Wydra’s interactions are more stilted than charged.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025
The wording feels too formal, too stilted, too reminiscent of a business introduction.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025
Drafting in English and translating often produces stilted, unnatural messages.
—Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stilted
Skyler Trepel, PEOPLE, 21 Dec. 2025
Yet Seehorn and Wydra’s interactions are more stilted than charged.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Nov. 2025
The wording feels too formal, too stilted, too reminiscent of a business introduction.
—Eva Roytburg, Fortune, 17 Nov. 2025
Drafting in English and translating often produces stilted, unnatural messages.
—Adam Mills, MSNBC Newsweek, 21 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stilted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stilted
Adjective
-
Designed by eccentric furniture designer Max Lamb, these monastically narrow and profoundly uncomfortable seats are the kind of pieces that fill penthouses and palazzos all over the world.—
Rachel Tashjian,
CNN Money,
3 Mar. 2026
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As Woody Harrelson detailed Harrison Ford's accomplishments from the Actors Awards stage, the famously gruff actor seemed to squirm in his seat, somehow uncomfortable with praise even at the age of 83.—
Eve Batey,
Vanity Fair,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Here was a piece that not only spanned the entire spectrum of casual to formal, but ate it up in the volume of its layered pleats.—
Julissa James,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Hare adds that this strategy will help eliminate the distant feeling that can exist in larger spaces or within more formal layouts.—
Kristina McGuirk,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
He is seen as favoring Christine Lagarde, head of the European Central Bank, to take over WEF, though her huffy exit this year from a dinner stacked with US government officials may make things awkward.—
semafor.com,
semafor.com,
3 Mar. 2026
-
His selection could prove awkward, as the Islamic Republic has long criticized hereditary rule and cast itself as a more just alternative.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Those who are running are nice enough.—
Gustavo Arellano,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Mar. 2026
-
Grape and sausage sounds so nice.—
Emily Elias,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
4 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
That makes the killers kind of human and fallible and clumsy, and these movies get a lot of mileage out of the slapstick shenanigans of their slasher chases.—
Bilge Ebiri,
Vulture,
27 Feb. 2026
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Then, however, Phillips was sent off four minutes into the second half for a clumsy lunge at Svante Ingelsson, and suddenly Wednesday believed.—
Richard Sutcliffe,
New York Times,
22 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Lee Martino’s choreography, like the production as a whole, is at its best when observing decorous constraints.—
Theater Critic,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
Paul has to buck the prevailing suffragist movement led by Carrie Chapman Catt, whose methods are more decorous and patient.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Arab leaders have sought to calm nationals and expatriate residents who chose to move to the Persian Gulf region for stability, safety and the promise of prosperity, but who are increasingly growing uneasy as the conflict becomes more chaotic.—
Mostafa Salem,
CNN Money,
2 Mar. 2026
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In Canada, as elsewhere, the climate movement, after years of raucous visibility, has largely fallen into a state of uneasy quietude.—
Robert Moor,
New Yorker,
2 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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The ones named Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion by the judges make a ceremonious visit at the end of the day to the Brown Palace Hotel and Spa in downtown Denver.—
Miguel Otárola,
Denver Post,
21 Jan. 2026
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More convincing in the film is cinematographer Talant Akynbekov’s observant, almost ceremonious lensing of carpet weaving, as well as of the beats of everyday life, sometimes accompanied by the traditional tunes villagers hum.—
Tomris Laffly,
Variety,
23 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stilted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stilted. Accessed 8 Mar. 2026.
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