Standard Lemma guide

tongue-tied

adj · verb · 6 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.

  • General-American, Received-Pronunciation: /ˈtʌŋtaɪd/
  • General-American: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australia: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Having tongue-tie or ankyloglossia (“a congenital oral anomaly in which the lingual frenulum (a membrane connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is unusually short and thick, decreasing mobility of the tongue and affecting eating, speech, etc.”).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: medicine, pathology, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Prevented from or unable to express oneself clearly or fluently, or freely; at a loss for words, speechless.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

adj

Meaning 3

Reluctant to speak up; reserved, reticent.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

adj

Meaning 4

Physically unable to speak; dumb, mute.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: figuratively, poetic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

simple past and past participle of tongue-tie

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: form-of, participle, past

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

adjective satellite

Meaning 6

unable to express yourself clearly or fluently

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • felt tongue-tied with embarrassment
  • incoherent with grief

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: incoherent

Antonyms: none provided

History

Etymology

From tongue + tied (“restricted”, adjective).

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Māori: arero whīwhiwhi — suffering from tongue-tie or ankyloglossia
  • Swedish: tunghäfta — suffering from tongue-tie or ankyloglossia
  • Finnish: kieli solmussa — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • French: sans voix — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Georgian: ბლუ (blu) — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • German: Sprachlos — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Japanese: 口籠もった (kuchigomotta) — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Latin: ēlinguis — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Māori: arero whīwhiwhi — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Māori: whīwhiwhi te arero — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Romanian: încuiat — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Russian: косноязы́чный (kosnojazýčnyj) — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless
  • Swedish: tunghäfta — unable to express oneself clearly or fluently — see also at a loss for words, speechless