Synonyms of stymie

stymie

verb

ˈstī-mē 

as in to impede

to create difficulty for the work or activity of

the raging blizzard stymied the rescuers' attempts to find the stranded mountain climbers

Synonyms & Similar Words

• impede
• hinder
• hamper
• embarrass
• obstruct
• inhibit
• handicap
• disrupt
• interfere (with)
• delay
• restrain
• block
• thwart
• encumber
• hobble
• constrain
• cramp
• clog
• frustrate
• tie up
• handcuff
• hold back
• short-circuit
• shackle
• fetter
• trammel
• stifle
• hog-tie
• curb
• tie
• give a hard time
• rein
• bind
• retard
• manacle
• balk
• cramp one's style
• retain
• hold up
• check
• strangle
• derail
• brake
• sabotage
• choke
• arrest
• confine
• baffle
• smother
• tether
• barricade
• bog (down)
• blockade
• suffocate
• chain
• repress
• leash
• foil
• roadblock
• suppress
• mire
• stump
• muzzle
• halter
• hem (in)
• hedge (in)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• help
• facilitate
• assist
• aid
• open
• clear
• liberate
• make way
• encourage
• promote
• release
• free
• loosen
• unclog
• unplug
• unstop
• smooth
• further
• untie

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of stymie

But it can also be stymied by an uncooperative executive branch. — Gibbs Knotts, The Conversation, 4 Nov. 2026

But that effort has been stymied by wars that have landed on their doorstep– including conflicts in Yemen and Iran. — Aya Batrawy, NPR, 2 Nov. 2026

First implemented in 2022, the unique system aims to stymie polarization by moving the state away from party primaries. — Kaia Hubbard, CBS News, 2 Nov. 2026

But in Israel at least, creatives have been stymied in recent years by a plethora of measures that have left them squeezed between censorship at home and international boycotts. — Max Goldbart, Deadline, 30 Oct. 2026

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