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.
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Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-tied
Adjective
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When Hall proves too mute to debate, Kiritsis vents to a radio disc jockey named Fred (Colman Domingo), even though Fred is more interested in smooth tunes than hard news.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Jan. 2026 -
Two streetlamps engaged in a mute but luminous dialogue, an indecipherable Morse code, alluding to the silent exchanges and secret ciphers of strangers who meet there for their trysts.—
Javier Montes,
Artforum,
1 Jan. 2026
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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That sentence would’ve sounded incomprehensible to anyone who’d just returned from a decade on a desert island, about as farfetched as Indiana being 15-0 right now.—
Jason Kirk,
New York Times,
16 Jan. 2026
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The scope of the effort is almost incomprehensible, both for its sheer size and persistence on a low-lying peninsula, where the delineation between land and sea has always been somewhat unclear and is becoming less so.—
Amy Green,
Miami Herald,
9 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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That’s harder to do in heavy scenes where people talk about their emotions, because real people tend to be inarticulate in these moments.—
Hershal Pandya,
Vulture,
2 Dec. 2025
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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 meteorologist Nancy, and Bobby’s friend Connie helped the Hills navigate a changing world.—
Katie Campione,
Deadline,
12 Aug. 2025
Adjective
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With each deviation, signals are repeated and the idea of a national immunization standard becomes increasingly incoherent.—
Richard Hughes IV,
STAT,
12 Jan. 2026
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But a lot of the slop that overwhelmed the internet this year was too dumb and incoherent to be considered political.—
Miles Klee,
Rolling Stone,
14 Dec. 2025
Adjective
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As Jaclyn and Kate wax poetic about a dream vacation that never happened, Laurie’s weary, silent glances seem to tee up an explosive confrontation.—
Christian Zilko,
IndieWire,
7 Jan. 2026
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Tisdale refused to stay silent, and texted the group after being left behind on another plan.—
Tracy Wright,
FOXNews.com,
6 Jan. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Tongue-tied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-tied. Accessed 25 Jan. 2026.
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