as in close
lacking fresh air
the lecture hall was stifling until we opened several windows
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in strangling
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
unfortunately, the robbers were stifled when they got trapped in the airless bank vault
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in suppressing
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
stifled a yawn
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3
as in muffling
to deaden the sound of
he stifled a cough with his hand
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of stifling
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
After enduring a stifling sea of sameness in the basic design of the iPhone since the iPhone X, Apple’s new line of iPhone 17s finally brings a very diverse and distinctive breadth of offerings to people looking for an iPhone.
—Bob O’Donnell, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
As Pietro becomes more impatient with Gatti, hearing about Felice’s losing streak in his nightly phone calls home, Felice is prompted into his first, necessary act of rebellion against his father’s loving but stifling authority.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Their defense had kept them in the game, stifling the Sailors ground game and forcing stops.
—David Delgado, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Consider the type of AI tool that your business needs to succeed, and begin to strategically introduce and layer the technology in a way that feels supportive, not stifling.
—Eyal Lifshitz, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Broader questions about salary and a new contract are claimed to be stifling Stern's return and amping up the speculation about the next phase of his career.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
While rooted in good intentions to promote diversity and sensitivity, the movement has evolved into a moral panic that risks stifling creativity and narrowing the bounds of free expression.
—Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
All the commotion around them was stifling.
—Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Verb
Lately, however, that search for control has become overly cautious, stifling attacking adventure.
—Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 11 Sep. 2025
After enduring a stifling sea of sameness in the basic design of the iPhone since the iPhone X, Apple’s new line of iPhone 17s finally brings a very diverse and distinctive breadth of offerings to people looking for an iPhone.
—Bob O’Donnell, USA Today, 10 Sep. 2025
As Pietro becomes more impatient with Gatti, hearing about Felice’s losing streak in his nightly phone calls home, Felice is prompted into his first, necessary act of rebellion against his father’s loving but stifling authority.
—Jessica Kiang, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
Their defense had kept them in the game, stifling the Sailors ground game and forcing stops.
—David Delgado, Oc Register, 6 Sep. 2025
Consider the type of AI tool that your business needs to succeed, and begin to strategically introduce and layer the technology in a way that feels supportive, not stifling.
—Eyal Lifshitz, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Broader questions about salary and a new contract are claimed to be stifling Stern's return and amping up the speculation about the next phase of his career.
—Nick Mordowanec, MSNBC Newsweek, 3 Sep. 2025
While rooted in good intentions to promote diversity and sensitivity, the movement has evolved into a moral panic that risks stifling creativity and narrowing the bounds of free expression.
—Kevin Dickinson, Big Think, 2 Sep. 2025
All the commotion around them was stifling.
—Literary Hub, 27 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stifling
Adjective
-
Looking back at Charlotte’s recent FCS opponents, dating back to 2021, the 49ers haven’t won the turnover battle in any of the four matchups, resulting in uncomfortably close games and even a lopsided loss to William & Mary in 2022.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
10 Sep. 2025
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As Vevo’s Senior Manager of Talent Booking, Cynthia Todd emphasized the close partnership and trust that goes into making opportunities like these special performances come together in Live From Vevo Studios.—
Jeff Benjamin,
Forbes.com,
10 Sep. 2025
Verb
-
Former Ohio State long snapper Michael Roen McCullough was arrested in Columbus early Friday morning after allegedly punching his girlfriend and strangling her during an argument, according to police records.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
1 Sep. 2025
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Visualizing the ropes of the nets twisting around the necks of these animals, slowly strangling, choking, running out of oxygen.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
31 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Sigma's coatings and the lens hood prove effective enough in suppressing the effect, short of shots where the sun itself is prominently in frame.—
PC Magazine,
PC Magazine,
9 Sep. 2025
-
This ensures lithium is deposited smoothly across the anode, effectively suppressing dendrite growth even under rapid-charging conditions.—
Aman Tripathi,
Interesting Engineering,
5 Sep. 2025
Adjective
-
The suffocating Benz pushed the lifelong asthmatic to the edge.—
Sam Bloch
August 8,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
-
And with the team operating under the suffocating grip of new CBA, every dollar must work overtime.—
Brian Sampson,
Forbes.com,
17 June 2025
Verb
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In a video of the attack, Johnson is seen choking Cundiff for more than a minute and a half, resuming the strangling after Cundiff appeared unconscious, causing injuries to his throat and face.—
Miguel Torres,
AZCentral.com,
6 Sep. 2025
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Authorities in the United States and the United Kingdom have warned consumers that counterfeit Labubu are poorly made and may contain small, detachable parts such as eyes, hands, and feet, which present a serious choking hazard to young children.—
Haicen Yang,
CNN Money,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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Vision may be impacted and the sufferer will demonstrate symptoms of dementia before, ultimately, losing the ability to perform basic functions like eating, swallowing and breathing.—
Mary Walrath-Holdridge,
USA Today,
12 Sep. 2025
-
The epiglottis blocks the trachea during swallowing.—
Neetika Walter,
Interesting Engineering,
10 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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The late Tom Wolfe, rubbing his hands with glee and spilling lemonade on his white suit, would be delighted that tradition has now taken its revenge on stuffy Bauhaus Europeanism, and maybe rightly so.—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
6 Sep. 2025
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Armani, who had already introduced unstructured jackets for men and women, was part of the generation of designers who ushered in a less formal fashion era, one that would allow men and women to look refined without looking stuffy.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
5 Sep. 2025
Verb
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An offseason of change came to fruition under the lights at Bank of America Stadium on Friday night, with first-year head coach Dowell Loggains’ Appalachian State Mountaineers smothering the Charlotte 49ers from start to finish, grabbing a 34-11 season-opening victory.—
Hunter Bailey,
Charlotte Observer,
30 Aug. 2025
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Naomi is a textbook Jewish mother, nagging and cajoling and smothering her children with logorrheic abandon.—
Alison Herman,
Variety,
22 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stifling.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stifling. Accessed 14 Sep. 2025.
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