1
as in choked
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Dissimilar Words
2
as in muted
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Dissimilar Words
1
as in strangled
to be or cause to be killed by lack of breathable air
children should never play inside discarded appliances because they could become trapped and smother
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in stifled
to refrain from openly showing or uttering
he quickly smothered his inappropriate laughter at the funeral ceremony
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in buried
to defeat by a large margin
the soccer team smothered their first few opponents in the championships, but lost narrowly in the final round
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Recent Examples of smothered
Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Otherwise, Rhoda picks the red rice; Laurence and Oscar pick the hoppin’ John; Anthony and Brittany pick collard greens; Duyen and Brandon pick the smothered cabbage; Justin and Sherry pick potato salad; and Jonathan and Jennifer pick the hoecakes.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
Robust, malty, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this smothered cabbage recipe will warm your soul and delight your tastebuds.
—Pableaux Johnson, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025
The smothered steak biscuit is available to order in-store and online through January 2026, a Bojangles spokesperson told CharlotteFive.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
Beren Cross, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Archaeologists at the ancient Roman site of Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a victim of the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that smothered the city, offering a new way to understand one of history's most famous natural disasters.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
If roots are buried too deeply, they can be smothered.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Tuck into this open-faced, knife-and-fork sandwich smothered in Mornay sauce for a delicious Kentucky classic.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, after getting completely smothered over the past two nights, the Red Sox offense jolted to life in the second inning and took advantage of a defensive miscue that extended the inning.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
With Smart’s unwavering defensive commitment, the Lakers smothered the Rockets in Game 1 and were just as effective in Game 2 when Durant made his series debut after missing the first game because of a right knee contusion.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Sexyy tries to ride the beat with ad-libs but gets smothered by the arrangement.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
No more going in after the bar and crushing a plate of smothered, covered and chunked.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Breakfast is a treat, with made-from-scratch English muffins and housemade jams, plus heartier items like a smothered breakfast burrito.
—Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 23 Apr. 2026
Otherwise, Rhoda picks the red rice; Laurence and Oscar pick the hoppin’ John; Anthony and Brittany pick collard greens; Duyen and Brandon pick the smothered cabbage; Justin and Sherry pick potato salad; and Jonathan and Jennifer pick the hoecakes.
—Roxana Hadadi, Vulture, 31 Mar. 2026
Robust, malty, and melt-in-your-mouth tender, this smothered cabbage recipe will warm your soul and delight your tastebuds.
—Pableaux Johnson, Southern Living, 25 Nov. 2025
The smothered steak biscuit is available to order in-store and online through January 2026, a Bojangles spokesperson told CharlotteFive.
—Tanasia Kenney, Charlotte Observer, 7 Nov. 2025
Verb
Jaka Bijol could not get a handle on Joao Pedro, Ethan Ampadu and Ao Tanaka were overrun in midfield, and Tosin Adarabioyo smothered Dominic Calvert-Lewin.
—Beren Cross, New York Times, 27 Apr. 2026
Archaeologists at the ancient Roman site of Pompeii have used artificial intelligence for the first time to digitally reconstruct the face of a victim of the AD 79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius that smothered the city, offering a new way to understand one of history's most famous natural disasters.
—CBS News, 27 Apr. 2026
If roots are buried too deeply, they can be smothered.
—Beth Botts, Chicago Tribune, 25 Apr. 2026
Tuck into this open-faced, knife-and-fork sandwich smothered in Mornay sauce for a delicious Kentucky classic.
—Cameron Beall, Southern Living, 25 Apr. 2026
Meanwhile, after getting completely smothered over the past two nights, the Red Sox offense jolted to life in the second inning and took advantage of a defensive miscue that extended the inning.
—Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 24 Apr. 2026
With Smart’s unwavering defensive commitment, the Lakers smothered the Rockets in Game 1 and were just as effective in Game 2 when Durant made his series debut after missing the first game because of a right knee contusion.
—Los Angeles Times, 22 Apr. 2026
Sexyy tries to ride the beat with ad-libs but gets smothered by the arrangement.
—Stephen Kearse, Pitchfork, 21 Apr. 2026
No more going in after the bar and crushing a plate of smothered, covered and chunked.
—Joe Kinsey Outkick, FOXNews.com, 21 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for smothered
Adjective
-
San Franciscans who think Muni buses are always packed, or prone to crawl along choked streets, may find their views validated in a new slide presentation released by the Municipal Transportation Agency.—
Rachel Swan,
San Francisco Chronicle,
6 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Its pretty plaid is in muted tones on good-quality, abrasion-resistant material, with a minimalist shape that anchors a room.—
Gretta Monahan,
Boston Herald,
30 Apr. 2026
-
In their own muted ways, her colleagues agreed.—
Mark Dee
April 28,
Idaho Statesman,
28 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Wanner's body was found three weeks later, strangled to death, in a remote area outside Foresthill, about 40 miles away from her home.—
Jon Haworth,
ABC News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
She had been raped and strangled, according to the Sheriff's Office.—
Carlos E. Castañeda,
CBS News,
27 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The Loons’ defense stifled Dallas striker Petar Musa, who came into the game leading MLS with nine goals this season.—
Andy Greder,
Twin Cities,
23 Apr. 2026
-
While personal fans have been a fashionable accessory since before the Victorian era, the category has been stifled by a lack of innovation for a while.—
Andrew Gebhart,
PC Magazine,
18 Apr. 2026
Verb
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In a traditional Japanese handle, a wa-style handle, the tang thins out into a strip of metal that’s completely buried in a cylindrical or octagonal wood handle.—
Jesse Raub,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
1 May 2026
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Before the war, the regime buried or otherwise concealed the rest of its missiles and launchers, according to two of the sources.—
Kayla Hayempour,
NBC news,
1 May 2026
Adjective
-
By the time volunteer firefighters from nearby Cachagua arrived, McCord estimated that the fire was about 70% extinguished.—
Lucy Hodgman,
San Francisco Chronicle,
27 Mar. 2026
-
That conditional pick, acquired in August’s salary dump of Haywood Highsmith, effectively has become extinguished.—
Ira Winderman,
Sun Sentinel,
10 Mar. 2026
Adjective
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Based on the popular 1960s spy sitcom, this weak adaptation casts Steve Carell as a bumbling secret agent, with Hathaway as his more competent partner and developing love interest.—
Chris Feil,
Vulture,
1 May 2026
-
In particular, researchers experimentally demonstrated quadsqueezing, a complex fourth-order quantum interaction previously considered too weak to observe.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
1 May 2026
Verb
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Michelle said medical professionals at the hospital told her that Juan drowned after his leg got caught in the lake's fountain, trapping him under the water.—
Nicole Comstock,
CBS News,
28 Apr. 2026
-
In 2018, 32-year-old Francis Roselin, of West Palm Beach, drowned while enjoying festivities on the water.—
Julia Bonavita,
FOXNews.com,
27 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Smothered.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/smothered. Accessed 2 May. 2026.
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