STUNTING Synonyms: 28 Similar and Opposite Words

stunting

verb

present participle of stunt

as in suppressing

to hold back the normal growth of unfortunately, an unusually dry summer seems to have permanently stunted the tree

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of stunting Even before the floods, malnutrition, child wasting and anaemia rates were high in Nepal, with one in four children nationwide affected by stunting. — Sana Noor Haq, CNN Money, 4 Sep. 2026 And the factors pushing people out of the labor force have implications beyond workers paying for everyday essentials, including stunting career trajectories and impacting long-term retirement savings. — Sarah Jackson jennifer Liu, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2026 Aid agencies warn the Iran war and Nigeria’s inflation could push millions more African children into poverty this year, stunting development and deepening a humanitarian crisis with far-reaching global consequences. — Ope Adetayo, Los Angeles Times, 19 July 2026 From stunting and weakening plant growth to delaying flower production, these 1/10th-inch-long pests can wreak havoc. — Abby Monteil, The Spruce, 12 June 2026 Negotiations were shelved, leading to an impasse and stunting Wilson’s development, who was recovering from keyhole ankle surgery which was worse than first thought. — Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 10 June 2026 The evidence In addition to animal research, there are a handful of preliminary studies in humans suggesting colostrum may improve certain forms of inflammatory bowel syndrome, gastroenteritis, and upper respiratory tract infections, as well as stunting in children. — Ari Daniel, NPR, 1 June 2026 Sunflowers contain allelopathic compounds in all of their tissues that can impact nearby plants, reducing seed germination and stunting the growth of roots and shoots. — Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 30 May 2026 The good news is that growing garlic near tomatoes can protect the harvest and keep pests from stunting the growth of your plants. — Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stunting

Verb

According to Iran Human Rights Monitor, the force has evolved into a powerful internal security institution involved in suppressing anti-government demonstrations, monitoring political activity and enforcing the regime's ideological restrictions.

— Emma Bussey, FOXNews.com, 11 Oct. 2026
Cybersecurity specialist Daniel Kellner (Josh O’Connor) decides to turn whistleblower upon discovering that the US government has been suppressing evidence of extra-terrrestrial life, as part of a cover-up that goes back decades.

— Tom Bailey, Space.com, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of suppressing

Verb

Tensions peaked when a demonstrator threw a cup of blood from the spectators’ gallery onto the Senate floor, halting business for several hours before the bill passed.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Last week, a judge granted a preliminary injunction halting construction in the Big Bend area while a lawsuit against the project proceeds.

— Ryan Devereaux, ProPublica, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of halting

Verb

But as stock prices climb and bond yields increase, that relative advantage is diminishing, leaving less room for equities to absorb higher rates.

— Lee Ying Shan, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
In addition to second base, center field and the closer’s role, third base is an issue complicated by Ryan McMahon’s $16 million salary, diminishing glove and paltry offense.

— Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of diminishing

Verb

Students are gathering and blocking access near the School of Political Science, while other students are joining the high school student protest movement and the blockades at high schools in Paris, Ile-de-France, France, on October 7, 2026.

— Jenni Reid, CNBC, 8 Oct. 2026
Not far away, armed men had been occupying makeshift barricades, blocking roads and turning some drivers away.

— Dan Raby, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of blocking

Verb

But Hurts threw incomplete on first down, wasting only four seconds and stopping the clock.

— ABC News, ABC News, 12 Oct. 2026
The crackdown extended beyond the protest venue, with police stopping buses, cars and other vehicles at checkpoints on routes into the capital and searching for demonstrators.

— Sheikh Saaliq, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of stopping

Verb

Governments are tapping their emergency oil faster than ever, and the room to keep doing so is shrinking.

— Heather Occhino, Fortune, 12 Oct. 2026
The top prize there was awarded to The Lake, directed by Abby Ellis, a film exploring the environmental catastrophe posed by the rapidly shrinking Great Salt Lake in Utah.

— Matthew Carey, Deadline, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrinking

Browse Nearby Words

stunted

stunting

stunts

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“Stunting.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stunting. Accessed 13 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stunting

verb

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