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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Recent Examples of tongue-tied
But on April 24, Stanford got tongue-tied when asked to explain her position on abolishing ICE.
—
David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 May 2026
At times, Raman was tongue-tied trying to answer simple questions.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
David Weigel, semafor.com, 18 May 2026
At times, Raman was tongue-tied trying to answer simple questions.
—Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 7 May 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for tongue-tied
Adjective
-
Works With Smartphones Additional features include dedicated mute buttons, gain indicators and separate controls for headphone and monitor outputs for more flexibility across recording and monitoring usage.—
Mark Sparrow,
Forbes.com,
14 June 2026
-
To further slash the dialogue, the main protagonist is mute.—
Amy Nicholson,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 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
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That principle has crumbled so far in the face of Wembanyama’s combination of incomprehensible on-court abilities, youthful enthusiasm and cosmopolitan-unto-eccentric savoir faire.—
Leah Asmelash,
CNN Money,
9 June 2026
-
Those marks look incomprehensible in 2026.—
Esfandiar Baraheni,
New York Times,
3 June 2026
Adjective
-
Simpson, butched up and closed off and vibrating with inarticulate pain, is superb in the part, and Jimenez’s rigid shoulders and frozen face are wrenching.—
Sara Holdren,
Vulture,
20 May 2026
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Yet masculinism also functions as a perpetual-motion machine of grievance, an inarticulate howl of anguish at the status quo—whatever that currently is.—
Helen Lewis,
The Atlantic,
14 May 2026
Adjective
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Building a comprehensive model Attempts at studying errors in quantum computation have traditionally worked with only one type of error, either coherent or incoherent.—
Ameya Paleja,
Interesting Engineering,
9 June 2026
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Viewed through the lens of traditional alliance politics, the behavior appears incoherent.—
Andrew Latham,
The Conversation,
4 June 2026
Adjective
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This battery system will enable up to 12 hours of silent scientific operations powered entirely by batteries, reducing both emissions and underwater noise that can interfere with sensitive marine research.—
Dea Jusufi,
Forbes.com,
13 June 2026
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The system’s movements are perfectly precise, silent and ultra-smooth.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
13 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Tongue-tied.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/tongue-tied. Accessed 16 Jun. 2026.
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