Standard Lemma guide

stifling

adj · noun · verb · 5 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /ˈstaɪflɪŋ/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: S T AY1 F L IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
  • CMU ARPABET 2: S T AY1 F AH0 L IH0 NG Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

That stifles.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The heat was stifling; it seemed hard to breathe and the exertion of rolling over on the bed seemed too much.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

The act by which something is stifled.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

present participle and gerund of stifle

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, gerund, participle, present

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adjective satellite

Meaning 4

characterized by oppressive heat and humidity

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the summer was sultry and oppressive
  • the stifling atmosphere
  • the sulfurous atmosphere preceding a thunderstorm

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: sultry, sulfurous, sulphurous

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the suppression of heresy
  • the quelling of the rebellion
  • the stifling of all dissent

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: suppression, crushing, quelling

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: prevention, bar

Narrower terms: crackdown

History

Etymology

No etymology was provided for this word.

Across languages

Translations

19 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Azerbaijani: boğanaq — that stifles
  • Bulgarian: задушлив (zadušliv) — that stifles
  • Esperanto: subpremanta — that stifles
  • French: étouffant — that stifles
  • Galician: abafante — that stifles
  • Galician: sufocante — that stifles
  • German: stickig — that stifles
  • German: erdrückend — that stifles
  • Hungarian: fullasztó — that stifles
  • Italian: soffocante — that stifles
  • Māori: pongere — that stifles
  • Māori: pōngerengere — that stifles
  • Plautdietsch: enj — that stifles
  • Portuguese: sufocante — that stifles
  • Russian: уду́шливый (udúšlivyj) — that stifles
  • Spanish: sofocante — that stifles
  • Swedish: kvävande — that stifles
  • Ottoman Turkish: بوغان (boğan) — that stifles
  • Ottoman Turkish: خانق (hanık) — that stifles