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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The older two initially resist their parents’ appeals to immerse themselves in nature, but the youngest, who is mute, explores the area and finds a magical tree inhabited by a group of extraordinary characters.—
The Week UK,
TheWeek,
2 Apr. 2026 -
Ironically, clicking the mute control that sits atop the Light Mount's volume knob is notably louder than the rest of the buttons on the keyboard.—
Aubrey Jowers,
PC Magazine,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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His friends, from brother Luigi (Charlie Day) to Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) veer in a similar direction, somehow coming across less fully formed and three-dimensional than their nearly speechless inspirations from Nintendo‘s flagship franchise.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
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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
Adjective
-
The majesty of the natural world and the incomprehensible vastness of space are almost infinitely rearrangeable variables for documentarians.—
David Faris,
TheWeek,
13 Apr. 2026
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Arthur is a creepy dude, a generic-looking cellphone store employee with an incomprehensible plan.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Recent years have been boom times for language that is inarticulate on purpose.—
Megan Garber,
The Atlantic,
24 Feb. 2026
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There are a few inarticulate screams and sobs but no dialogue, no lyrics, no spoken intro, no utterances at all.—
Christopher Arnott,
Hartford Courant,
11 Feb. 2026
Adjective
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And these worlds aren’t even real, just ones and zeros merged to form a network of communication that sometimes feels like incoherent gibberish.—
Brandon Kaipo Moningka,
Los Angeles Times,
8 Apr. 2026
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Glyfada—a seaside suburb of shopping malls and incoherent apartment blocks—is none of that.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Apr. 2026
Adjective
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Republican members also remained silent, with the exception of Chairman Charlie Geren of Fort Worth, who called for the vote.—
Jack Fink,
CBS News,
11 Apr. 2026
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Behind bars, Jeffs ordered his followers to no longer marry or have children and later became increasingly silent, paving the way for Bateman to assert himself as his heir.—
Stephanie Nolasco,
FOXNews.com,
11 Apr. 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 15 Apr. 2026.
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