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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This headset ticks every box with great sound, comfortable over-ear cans, and a noise-isolating mic for group chat, with easy mute controls on the cable.—
Simon Hill Adrienne So,
Wired News,
6 July 2025 -
In time, a healthier Dodgers pitching staff could render such mistakes mute.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 July 2025
Adjective
-
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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Alex Hartman runs the meme page Nolita Dirtbag on Instagram, and tells Rolling Stone the nervous emotions around Mamdani’s win could be in part because of how utterly incomprehensible or cruel many of the Trump administration decisions seem to be.—
CT Jones,
Rolling Stone,
26 June 2025
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In a brittle, anxious, nonlinear, incomprehensible (BANI) world where change is the only constant, the leadership traits that once earned respect—tenacity, decisiveness and stoicism—are no longer enough.—
Arthi Rabikrisson,
Forbes.com,
18 June 2025
Adjective
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As pompous actor Garry, Nehal Joshi aces the tough task of making his character’s halting, inarticulate speech sound authentic.—
Pam Kragen,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
12 July 2025
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My hands move around everywhere, my rhythm is very fast and inarticulate and often a bit wishy-washy.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
2 July 2024
Adjective
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Elsewhere, outside of reasonably decent efforts like the first Wonder Woman or Peacemaker, we were treated mostly to an incoherent mess, from The Flash to Black Adam.—
Erik Kain,
Forbes.com,
9 July 2025
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Retirement accounts have been bounced down and up and down again by an incoherent tariff policy.—
Don Harmon,
Chicago Tribune,
8 July 2025
Adjective
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With 66 distinct incidents logged between January and late June, the state has had reports of an array of mysterious aerial objects, ranging from glowing orbs and silent triangles to fast-moving disks and shape-shifting lights.—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
7 July 2025
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Thus far, however, Tesla’s board has remained largely silent throughout Musk’s period of political activity.—
Christiaan Hetzner,
Fortune,
7 July 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 18 Jul. 2025.
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