stifled
/'staifld/
Học thuậtThân thiện
Definition
- Adjective:
- Suppressed or held back, often with effort: Describes something, typically a sound, emotion, or action, that is forcibly restrained or prevented from being expressed fully or freely.
- Suffocated or smothered: Can describe a feeling of being unable to breathe freely, either literally or figuratively.
Usage Examples
- Adjective:
- She let out a stifled sob, trying not to cry in public.
- The room was filled with stifled laughter during the serious meeting.
- He felt a stifled scream rise in his throat as he watched the horror movie.
Advanced Usage
- "stifled by": Used to indicate the cause of the suppression, often an environment, emotion, or rule.
- Her creativity felt stifled by the company's strict policies.
- Describing an atmosphere or environment that feels oppressive and restricting.
- The stifled air in the tiny room made it hard to think.
Variants and Related Words
- Stifle (verb): To suppress, hold back, or suffocate.
- He tried to stifle a yawn.
- Stifling (adjective): Describing something that causes suffocation or severe restriction; unbearably hot or oppressive.
- The stifling heat made everyone lethargic.
Synonyms
- Suppressed: Held back or kept from being expressed.
- Smothered: Extinguished or suppressed; covered thickly.
- Strangled: Choked; suppressed forcibly.
- Muffled: Made quiet or less distinct.
Antonyms
- Unrestrained: Not held back or controlled.
- Unfettered: Released from restraint; free.
- Expressed: Conveyed or communicated freely.
Related Phrases
- A stifled yawn: A yawn that is partially suppressed.
- Stifled ambition: Ambition that is held back or not allowed to develop.
- In a stifled voice: Speaking in a voice that is held back, often due to strong emotion.
Adjective
- held in check with difficulty
- a smothered cough
- a stifled yawn
- a strangled scream
- suppressed laughter