as in dwarf
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as in suppressed
to hold back the normal growth of
unfortunately, an unusually dry summer seems to have permanently stunted the tree
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Recent Examples of stunted
Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026
As a result, the new foliage may look crinkled or stunted, with the aphids usually plainly visible around the stem.
—Jon Vanzile, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
New in town after his emotionally stunted mother (Mia Wasikowska) chose to move them there, Naim is still making sense of this uninviting place.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Their plight is embodied by an emotionally stunted incel named Jeremy (played first by Jaquel Spivey, then, once Beautified, by Jeremy Pope), who’s desperate for human connection.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Yellow stippling on plant leaves and sticky honeydew residue can be signs of pests, but pests can also cause leaf wilting and stunted growth.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
Wilting, floppy leaves, stunted growth, and failure to bloom can signal the plant isn’t getting enough light and is stretching to reach it.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 20 Jan. 2026
Some blame Gen Z’s stunted reading skills on dwindling confidence, like Brooke Vuckovic, a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, who says she’s seen this in her business school students.
—Essence, 20 Jan. 2026
Signs of overfeeding include white crust on the pot or media, brown, scorched leaf tips, mushy or blackened roots, stunted growth, lack of blooms, and leaf drop.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 19 Jan. 2026
Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
The first-team All-Pro loves Lukas Van Ness, on whom the Packers have a decision to make this spring regarding his fifth-year option, but Van Ness’ third season was stunted by a lingering foot injury.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Van der Westhuizen loved to play cricket and rugby, but the segregationist apartheid regime stunted that dream by restricting him from testing his mettle with talented Black athletes.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Every time Young would have a positive play or two, a drive would be stunted by a penalty or an execution setback.
—Mike Kaye
updated January 3, Charlotte Observer, 4 Jan. 2026
Bureaucrats have stunted the development of stock markets, and their distrust of private enterprise has scared off investors and venture capitalists.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
Beijing’s almost singular focus on building its industrial base has also stunted the development of a balanced domestic market.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Punter Jeremy Crawshaw delivered a fourth-quarter beauty of a boot, too, that was only stunted by Lil'Jordan Humphrey's failure to down it at the 1-yard line.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Many remote lodges, however, are stunted by unfixable geographic challenges, like infertile land.
—Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Adjective
In 1996, Tucker’s sister Callie Marshall was born with Alström syndrome, which causes, among other things, the loss of sight and hearing, heart and lung disease, diabetes, the accumulation of excess fat around the abdomen during childhood and stunted growth leading to shorter stature in adulthood.
—Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 Feb. 2026
As a result, the new foliage may look crinkled or stunted, with the aphids usually plainly visible around the stem.
—Jon Vanzile, The Spruce, 30 Jan. 2026
New in town after his emotionally stunted mother (Mia Wasikowska) chose to move them there, Naim is still making sense of this uninviting place.
—Carlos Aguilar, Variety, 27 Jan. 2026
Their plight is embodied by an emotionally stunted incel named Jeremy (played first by Jaquel Spivey, then, once Beautified, by Jeremy Pope), who’s desperate for human connection.
—Inkoo Kang, New Yorker, 22 Jan. 2026
Yellow stippling on plant leaves and sticky honeydew residue can be signs of pests, but pests can also cause leaf wilting and stunted growth.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 22 Jan. 2026
Wilting, floppy leaves, stunted growth, and failure to bloom can signal the plant isn’t getting enough light and is stretching to reach it.
—Karen Brewer Grossman, Southern Living, 20 Jan. 2026
Some blame Gen Z’s stunted reading skills on dwindling confidence, like Brooke Vuckovic, a professor at Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management, who says she’s seen this in her business school students.
—Essence, 20 Jan. 2026
Signs of overfeeding include white crust on the pot or media, brown, scorched leaf tips, mushy or blackened roots, stunted growth, lack of blooms, and leaf drop.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 19 Jan. 2026
Verb
In fact, all members of the cabbage family can be stunted by clubroot, which is more likely to infect roots in acidic soil.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
The first-team All-Pro loves Lukas Van Ness, on whom the Packers have a decision to make this spring regarding his fifth-year option, but Van Ness’ third season was stunted by a lingering foot injury.
—Matt Schneidman, New York Times, 3 Feb. 2026
Van der Westhuizen loved to play cricket and rugby, but the segregationist apartheid regime stunted that dream by restricting him from testing his mettle with talented Black athletes.
—Eve Fairbanks, The Dial, 27 Jan. 2026
Every time Young would have a positive play or two, a drive would be stunted by a penalty or an execution setback.
—Mike Kaye
updated January 3, Charlotte Observer, 4 Jan. 2026
Bureaucrats have stunted the development of stock markets, and their distrust of private enterprise has scared off investors and venture capitalists.
—Michael Schuman, The Atlantic, 3 Jan. 2026
Beijing’s almost singular focus on building its industrial base has also stunted the development of a balanced domestic market.
—Zongyuan Zoe Liu, Foreign Affairs, 16 Dec. 2025
Punter Jeremy Crawshaw delivered a fourth-quarter beauty of a boot, too, that was only stunted by Lil'Jordan Humphrey's failure to down it at the 1-yard line.
—Luca Evans, Denver Post, 1 Dec. 2025
Many remote lodges, however, are stunted by unfixable geographic challenges, like infertile land.
—Jillian Dara, Robb Report, 28 Nov. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stunted
Adjective
-
Behind the vail of stability is that blast furnace engine driving the climate and marshaling powers which, when released, dwarf human capacities.—
Adam Frank,
Forbes.com,
24 Jan. 2026
-
The key is to choose a dwarf tree variety and a well-draining, roomy pot, and to take a few precautions to ensure your potted tree thrives.—
Lauren Landers,
Better Homes & Gardens,
21 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Ukraine's air force said Russia launched two missiles and 183 drones into the country overnight, of which 156 drones were shot down or suppressed.—
David Brennan,
ABC News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Congress was sidelined, independent media was suppressed, and opponents were detained, all under a veneer of legal authority.—
Alejandro Reyes,
Washington Post,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
While much of the Yucatan peninsula is covered by rain forest, the landscape designers improved on nature here creating a jungle that is less scrubby than the real thing and instead planted with dramatic Mexican fan palms and other tropical trees that create a solid green wall.—
John Newton,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Banks are fringed with grasses and scrubby trees, as colorful hills slant down to the water.—
Roger Naylor,
AZCentral.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Hanna Liden’s photographs reimagined the northern Romantic landscape tradition of Caspar David Friedrich and Vilhelm Hammershøi as populated by practitioners of the suburban occult, with figures in skull masks or Grim Reaper hoods dwarfed by moody vistas.—
Rachel Wetzler,
Artforum,
1 Feb. 2026
-
That may be a good idea, as the department is already struggling with significant IDR application backlogs that may be dwarfed by a surge of new applications once the SAVE plan settlement agreement is approved.—
Adam S. Minsky,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
In 2018, the company had a viral moment when Catherine’s sister-in-law, the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle, wore their jeans at a public event, setting off a frenzy that spiked demand and overwhelmed the tiny operation of around 20 employees at the time.—
Angela Velasquez,
Sourcing Journal,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Her subsequent eviction from the Beguines leads to her accepting the Bishop’s offer of sanctuary—as an anchorite, destined to live out her days in a tiny stone outcropping.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The game was briefly halted early in the second quarter when the officials gave a warning to Sargeant and Crespi coach Derek Fisher to stay in their coaching boxes.—
Eric Sondheimer,
Los Angeles Times,
3 Feb. 2026
-
SpaceX has halted launches of its Falcon 9 rockets after an issue from a mission flown from California on Monday.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
3 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Egg’s plucky insolence belies his puny size, a comedic contrast with Claffey’s ex-rugby player physique, and perhaps his seemingly humble origins as well.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
13 Jan. 2026
-
But puny xenophobic humans won't ever see the light of Eywa?—
Fran Ruiz,
Space.com,
19 Dec. 2025
Verb
-
The mood around EVs can be attributed to many factors, such as the loss of federal tax credits in 2025; the end of emissions waivers and revenues from carbon credits; and diminished aftermarket values as consumers fear battery degradation and anticipate quickly evolving technologies.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Davie’s successor will inherit an organization wrestling with its place in a media ecosystem dominated by overseas tech giants, as well as battling enemies closer to home, with conservative politicians and media proprietors wishing to see the BBC diminished during charter renewal.—
Jake Kanter,
Deadline,
5 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stunted. Accessed 10 Feb. 2026.
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