as in mute
unable to speak because you are nervous or shy
She became tongue-tied whenever he was around. He gets tongue-tied in front of crowds.
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-tied
Adjective
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According to his family, Tony was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022 and became mute when his larynx had to be removed.—
Angel Saunders,
People.com,
19 Apr. 2025 -
Other buttons include volume rockers, a mute button, Google Assistant, and more.—
Prakhar Khanna,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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In helicopter video taken by Air Maui Helicopter Tours in Lahaina and posted online the people aboard are largely speechless.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
10 Aug. 2023
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Because his work, as is often the case, leaves us almost speechless.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2023
Adjective
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The terrible tragedy that some people went through is just incomprehensible.—
Ari Daniel,
Smithsonian Magazine,
1 May 2025
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Researching feels incomprehensible or inapplicable, especially as a business owner.—
Bree Manay,
Forbes.com,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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Hank’s friends – conspiracy theorist Dale, military barber Bill and cool but inarticulate Boomhauer, along with Peggy’s friends Minh and Nancy, and Bobby’s friend Connie helped the Hills navigate a changing world.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
18 Apr. 2025
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From this, and similarly strong but inarticulate reactions, Haidt concluded that the students had arrived at their judgments impulsively.—
Elizabeth Kolbert,
The New Yorker,
13 Jan. 2025
Adjective
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As recently as January, the Liberals trailed the Conservatives by almost twenty points in the polls, owing to a wave of severe, if sometimes incoherent, dissatisfaction with Trudeau.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
1 May 2025
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In an interview with the Financial Times published Monday, Langone decried Trump’s tariffs as too large, imposed too hastily, and based on an incoherent mathematical formula.—
Michael Hiltzik,
Los Angeles Times,
17 Apr. 2025
Adjective
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The trick now is knowing where to go and which Muay Thai boxing schools, silent monasteries, or health spas to choose.—
Lee Cobaj,
Robb Report,
24 Apr. 2025
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But that learning curve can be steep, isolating and — too often — silent.—
Yolanda Wiggins,
Mercury News,
24 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Tongue-tied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-tied. Accessed 10 May. 2025.
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