STUTTERING Synonyms: 66 Similar and Opposite Words

stuttering 1 of 2

adjective

Definition of stuttering

as in sputtering

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stuttering

2 of 2

verb

present participle of stutter

as in stammering

to speak with many involuntary pauses and repetitions I used to stutter when I was a child. She stutters when she gets excited.

Related Words

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

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 stuttering

Adjective

Windows Vista and its early WDDM woes had reduced my previously badass main PC with two Nvidia 7900GT cards in SLI to a stuttering BSOD-spitting mess, and the future of Microsoft OSes looked bleak—Windows 7 wouldn’t be along to change the situation for years. — Lee Hutchinson, ArsTechnica, 6 May 2026

Verb

Some are painted with a stuttering distortion, like a computer image that’s failed to fully download. — Literary Hub, 22 Sep. 2026 As Fernandes undertook his trademark run-up, Tielemans mirrored him exactly, sidestepping and stuttering in synchronisation. — Cerys Jones, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026 Its fast 180-hertz refresh rate, paired with a 1ms response time, keeps on-screen action razor-sharp, and AMD FreeSync technology eliminates tearing and stuttering. — Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 4 Sep. 2026 It shouldn’t be forgotten that John battled stuttering early in his life as well. — Voice Of The People, New York Daily News, 19 Aug. 2026 Strikes between the United States and Iran have been ongoing after a stuttering ceasefire. — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 31 July 2026 The track — with its croaking guitar, cymbal smashes, and stuttering vocals — sounds nothing like Brat’s gleaming, clubby gems (or the bouncy pop-punk of her 2014 LP Sucker, for that matter). — Caryn Ganz, Rolling Stone, 23 July 2026 Hardly ten more minutes had passed before Dembélé scored again—this time, cutting inside and stuttering his dribble and then, having befuddled the defense, rolling the ball right past it into an open corner of the goal. — Louisa Thomas, New Yorker, 27 June 2026 Stock gains themselves have also shown signs of stuttering after a nearly unprecedented run of gains in April and May. — Rob Wile, NBC news, 25 June 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for stuttering

Adjective

On a day that Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis threw two interceptions and lost a fumble and again generally struggled, coach Jeff Hafley said the turnovers are not acceptable and made clear the team’s sputtering passing game must be better.

— Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
America’s cost-of-living concerns and a bond market meltdown aren’t functions of a sputtering economy that’s running out of gas.

— David Goldman, CNN Money, 28 Sep. 2026

Definition of sputtering

Verb

After all, some in the party are still smarting about the 2008 presidential primary and more than a few are still stammering about the 2016 one.

— Philip Elliott, Time, 3 Aug. 2026
Probst glides through his dialogue for the day in a single take, without stopping or even stammering.

— David Canfield, HollywoodReporter, 3 Sep. 2019

Definition of stammering

Adjective

This time, after being four outs from stealing Game 1 before faltering, then pulling off an epic Game 2 win, the Phillies reverted to their worst selves in Game 3.

— Matt Gelb, New York Times, 2 Oct. 2026
Today, the mechanisms that contained the initial energy shock are faltering.

— RICHARD HAASS, Foreign Affairs, 23 Sep. 2026

Definition of faltering

Verb

Mix these finds into your work wardrobe or your off-duty ensembles—they’re versatile enough to do it all, and the festive palette is worth drooling over.

— Jake Henry Smith, Glamour, 7 Oct. 2026
There was one of Melissa Gorga’s sprinkle cookies ground into the carpet, and there was Kelsey Swanson, passed out under the piano and drooling on the parquet.

— Brian Moylan, Vulture, 5 Oct. 2026

Definition of drooling

Verb

After most of the sellout crowd filed out Wednesday, one solitary Sox fan stood at his seat under the press box, shouting obscenities about the Guardians and the city of Cleveland.

— Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 9 Oct. 2026
News of their separation had been made public earlier this year when LaBeouf was arrested in New Orleans for two charges of simple battery where he was eventually given probation despite allegedly also harassing locals and shouting homophobic slurs.

— Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of shouting

Adjective

And considering scoring has been at a premium for Florida — the Panthers have nine goals through five games — Maurice might have been hesitant to fully dismantle a group that’s producing.

— Jordan McPherson, Miami Herald, 11 Oct. 2026
Why is private philanthropy hesitant to step in to cover underfunded programs that have been abandoned by many governments?

— Mohammed Sergie, semafor.com, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of hesitant

Verb

On the lawn, a mechanical bull bounced shrieking children into the air.

— Aidan McLaughlin, Vanity Fair, 8 Oct. 2026
The addition of the electric guitar, drums and Jack White’s shrieking vocals transformed it into a rock song, while also keeping its signature folksiness.

— Stephanie Sengwe, PEOPLE, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of shrieking

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“Stuttering.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stuttering. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of stuttering

adjective

verb

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