1
as in close
lacking fresh air
the house was very stuffy after being closed up for a month
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in boring
causing weariness, restlessness, or lack of interest
nothing stuffy about this science museum—it's all interactive and fun
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in irritable
easily irritated or annoyed
those nursing home residents with a reputation for being chronically stuffy were usually the last to receive attention
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stuffy
When exposed to mold, some people may experience no symptoms, while others may develop mild reactions such as a stuffy nose, sore throat, or cough.
—
Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 6 Jan. 2026
Flu symptoms in adults and children come on quick, with symptoms lasting from a few days to two weeks, with fatigue and chills to start, followed by fever, body aches, cough, headache, sore throat, congestion, and runny or stuffy nose, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Lori Comstock, Freep.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Jisulife 3-in-1 Handheld Mini Fan Taxiing planes can quickly get uncomfortably hot and stuffy.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026
Doing so bred hope for more days like Monday, when an overflow crowd stood inside a stuffy press conference room to witness, perhaps, the beginning of Crane’s vision.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stuffy
Angelica Bottaro, Verywell Health, 6 Jan. 2026
Flu symptoms in adults and children come on quick, with symptoms lasting from a few days to two weeks, with fatigue and chills to start, followed by fever, body aches, cough, headache, sore throat, congestion, and runny or stuffy nose, according to the Cleveland Clinic.
—Lori Comstock, Freep.com, 6 Jan. 2026
Jisulife 3-in-1 Handheld Mini Fan Taxiing planes can quickly get uncomfortably hot and stuffy.
—Amelia McBride, Travel + Leisure, 6 Jan. 2026
Doing so bred hope for more days like Monday, when an overflow crowd stood inside a stuffy press conference room to witness, perhaps, the beginning of Crane’s vision.
—Chandler Rome, New York Times, 6 Jan. 2026
See All Example Sentences for stuffy
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stuffy
Adjective
-
Traffic concerns remained a prominent theme of the more than 100 emails the city received in early December, but many people expressed excitement at the prospect of a closer Costco.—
Rose Evans
January 8,
Idaho Statesman,
8 Jan. 2026
-
The Clippers raced to a 14-5 lead, but the Knicks answered with eight straight points and the game was close for the first three quarters.—
CBS News,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Yes, the rich women went to Sedona on Sutton’s private plane, but before that there were a few scenes back in boring old Los Angeles.—
Brian Moylan,
Vulture,
9 Jan. 2026
-
Disease prevention should be boring, routine, expected, and easy to access.—
Uché Blackstock,
Time,
8 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Some of the consequences of owing your body sleep are readily apparent, like feeling drowsy, irritable, or brain-foggy, or catching seemingly every virus.—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
6 Jan. 2026
-
Accompanying Rayner through these daily adventures were the irritable duck Chelveston (named after his English bomber base) and the gentle dog puppet Cuddly Dudley.—
Michael Peregrine,
Chicago Tribune,
2 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
When Jensen was tiring of running her own business, her little brother did her the same favor of helping her land a job with the cannabis dispensary From The Earth at their Brookside location, where she was quickly hired and loved by her coworkers.—
PJ Green
January 7,
Kansas City Star,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Although Richardson has only appeared in 25 of the 36 contests so far in his rookie campaign, the near first-half of his first year as a professional has been tiring for the 20-year-old who’s continued to adjust to his new life in Orlando.—
Jason Beede,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
There haven't been fiery and destructive protests.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Workers will be able to relocate from the burning universe of bribes to the fiery one of taxes.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
15 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite his team not needing to throw the football much thanks to a suffocating defensive performance (Trevor Lawrence attempted just 22 passes in Jacksonville's 35-6 win over the Chargers), Meyers still received six targets and produced five catches for 64 yards.—
Tyler Everett,
MSNBC Newsweek,
23 Nov. 2025
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The Vikings never seemed to know what was coming next during the Chargers’ comprehensive 37-10 victory, unable to contend with Herbert and the offense or solve a suffocating defense that sacked Minnesota quarterback Carson Wentz five times and limited him to only 144 yards passing.—
Elliott Teaford,
Oc Register,
24 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
These chambers mimic Mars’ low-pressure atmosphere, dry conditions, and dusty surface.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Jan. 2026
-
Don’t sit at home getting dusty.—
Georgia Nicols,
Denver Post,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Despite breathless headlines warning of a robot takeover in the workforce, a new research briefing from Oxford Economics casts doubt on the narrative that artificial intelligence is currently causing mass unemployment.—
Nick Lichtenberg,
Fortune,
7 Jan. 2026
-
Their work was defined by stressfully cascading plots, breathless energy and ingenious street-level filmmaking, both in the casting (led by Safdie’s longtime colleague Jennifer Venditti) and actual shooting locations.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
5 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stuffy.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stuffy. Accessed 20 Jan. 2026.
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