smothered

Thân thiện

A colorful bonnet is smothered with flowers.

Definition

Adjective: 1. Completely covered or concealed: Describes something that is entirely overwhelmed or hidden by something else, often in a thick or heavy layer. 2. Suppressed or held back: Describes a sound, emotion, or action that is restrained or kept from being fully expressed or released.

Usage Examples

• The ancient ruins were smothered by thick jungle vines.
• She served smothered chicken with rice.
• He let out a smothered laugh during the serious meeting.
• A smothered scream escaped her lips when she saw the spider.

Advanced Usage

• "Smothered with/in": Used to indicate being overwhelmed by an abundance of something, which can be literal or figurative.
  • The cake was smothered in rich chocolate frosting.
  • After the victory, the team was smothered with praise.
• Emotional context: Often describes feelings that are consciously repressed.
  • She felt a wave of smothered anger towards the unfair decision.

Variants and Related Words

• Smother (verb): To suffocate, to cover thickly, or to suppress.
  • He tried to smother the flames with a blanket.
  • Parents should not smother their children with overprotection.
• Smothering (adjective/gerund): Describing something that feels suffocating or overly oppressive.
  • The smothering heat made it difficult to breathe.

Synonyms

• Covered: Having a layer over the surface.
• Suppressed: Kept from being revealed, expressed, or continued.
• Stifled: Constrained or held back (especially a sound or emotion).
• Muffled: Made quiet or less distinct by being wrapped or covered.
• Strangled: Suppressed or hindered forcibly.

Related Phrases

• Smother to death: To kill by preventing access to air.
  • The tragic news reported an infant smothered to death.
• Smother with affection/kisses: To give an overwhelming amount of affection.
  • The grandmother smothered her grandchild with kisses.

Related Idioms

• To smother something in the cradle: To stop something (like a plan or rebellion) at a very early stage before it can develop.
  • The government's swift action smothered the protest in the cradle.

Học thuật

Adjective

1. completely covered
   • bonnets smothered with flowers
   • smothered chicken is chicken cooked in a seasoned gravy
2. held in check with difficulty
   • a smothered cough
   • a stifled yawn
   • a strangled scream
   • suppressed laughter

Từ đồng nghĩa

• stifled
• strangled
• suppressed