as in dwarf
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as in suppressed
to hold back the normal growth of
unfortunately, an unusually dry summer seems to have permanently stunted the tree
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Recent Examples of stunted
Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
Mia Wasikowska also appears as Naim’s emotionally stunted mother, joined by Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie and Davida McKenzie.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Damage includes stunted, yellow, or wilted leaves and loss of flower buds.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2026
On the other hand, planting the wrong neighbors next to garlic can lead to altered flavors, stunted growth, increased susceptibility to pests, and decreased production.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
This is because poor soil or weak drainage—like using pots without drainage holes, one of many common mistakes of growing tomatoes in containers—can lead to root rot, nutrient deficiencies, and stunted growth, Omelchenko says.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 19 Apr. 2026
Willy’s older brother, Ben (Jonathan Cake, plummy-voiced and elegant, a cedar to Lane’s stunted apple tree), breezes in and out, always on the way to or from some impressive capital venture.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Corn that is overcrowded or planted too close together can lead to competition for resources such as water and nutrients, resulting in stunted, smaller, and underdeveloped ears.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
But with the last pre-war shipments of Middle East oil yet to reach their destinations, the second and third-order effects of the crisis — stunted crops and factory blackouts — have yet to hit, Semafor’s business editor argued.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
Still, a day later her leg swelled dangerously with what’s called compartment syndrome, in which blood flow becomes built up and stunted in a certain area and causes immense pressure.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Niantic Spatial’s Visual Positioning System, or VPS, solves a problem that has quietly stunted the autonomous delivery industry.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Items from the archives have dominated the red carpet in the last couple years, as a slew of creative director changes stunted the showcase of new designs.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2026
Also, the frantic movement among players and coaches during the NIL era has perhaps stunted the growth of college quarterbacks.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Ensuing blackouts have hit essential sectors, namely health care, while a lack of fuel has stunted the island’s vital tourism industry.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
But the steady deterioration of what used to be Twitter has stunted the conversations on the app.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
In fact, all members of the cabbage family can be stunted by clubroot, which is more likely to infect roots in acidic soil.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
The director, Antoine Fuqua, working with a script by John Logan, portrays Michael as an emotionally stunted and grievously wounded artist of historic greatness.
—Sheldon Pearce, New Yorker, 24 Apr. 2026
Mia Wasikowska also appears as Naim’s emotionally stunted mother, joined by Jeremy Blewitt, Ewen Leslie and Davida McKenzie.
—Arushi Jacob, Variety, 22 Apr. 2026
Damage includes stunted, yellow, or wilted leaves and loss of flower buds.
—Mary Marlowe Leverette, Southern Living, 22 Apr. 2026
On the other hand, planting the wrong neighbors next to garlic can lead to altered flavors, stunted growth, increased susceptibility to pests, and decreased production.
—Lauren Landers, Better Homes & Gardens, 21 Apr. 2026
This is because poor soil or weak drainage—like using pots without drainage holes, one of many common mistakes of growing tomatoes in containers—can lead to root rot, nutrient deficiencies, and stunted growth, Omelchenko says.
—Michelle Mastro, The Spruce, 19 Apr. 2026
Willy’s older brother, Ben (Jonathan Cake, plummy-voiced and elegant, a cedar to Lane’s stunted apple tree), breezes in and out, always on the way to or from some impressive capital venture.
—Sara Holdren, Vulture, 10 Apr. 2026
Corn that is overcrowded or planted too close together can lead to competition for resources such as water and nutrients, resulting in stunted, smaller, and underdeveloped ears.
—Sj McShane, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
But with the last pre-war shipments of Middle East oil yet to reach their destinations, the second and third-order effects of the crisis — stunted crops and factory blackouts — have yet to hit, Semafor’s business editor argued.
—Andrew Edgecliffe-Johnson, semafor.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Verb
If Rue’s growth has been stunted by her addiction, Cassie’s (Sydney Sweeney) has been stunted by her attachment to her high school self.
—José Criales-Unzueta, Vanity Fair, 13 Apr. 2026
Still, a day later her leg swelled dangerously with what’s called compartment syndrome, in which blood flow becomes built up and stunted in a certain area and causes immense pressure.
—Dana O’Neil, CNN Money, 12 Apr. 2026
Niantic Spatial’s Visual Positioning System, or VPS, solves a problem that has quietly stunted the autonomous delivery industry.
—Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 19 Mar. 2026
Items from the archives have dominated the red carpet in the last couple years, as a slew of creative director changes stunted the showcase of new designs.
—Bebe Hodges, Cincinnati Enquirer, 15 Mar. 2026
Also, the frantic movement among players and coaches during the NIL era has perhaps stunted the growth of college quarterbacks.
—Jason Lloyd, New York Times, 5 Mar. 2026
Ensuing blackouts have hit essential sectors, namely health care, while a lack of fuel has stunted the island’s vital tourism industry.
—Jeronimo Gonzalez, semafor.com, 17 Feb. 2026
But the steady deterioration of what used to be Twitter has stunted the conversations on the app.
—Larisha Paul, Rolling Stone, 15 Feb. 2026
In fact, all members of the cabbage family can be stunted by clubroot, which is more likely to infect roots in acidic soil.
—Brandee Gruener, Southern Living, 4 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stunted
Adjective
-
This semi-dwarf agapanthus sparkles with clusters of violet-blue flowers atop sturdy stems that make excellent cuttings.—
Kim Toscano,
Southern Living,
21 Apr. 2026
-
The bond between the dwarf calf and the aging horse blossomed over the following months.—
Ryan Brennan,
Miami Herald,
21 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The 2021 army takeover triggered massive public resistance that was brutally suppressed, triggering a bloody civil war that has killed thousands of people.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The market value of media and entertainment stocks remains suppressed, however, amid intensifying competition from tech and streaming companies.—
Dade Hayes,
Deadline,
27 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
From a window, Jude looked down on a scrubby expanse where multiple apartment buildings were under construction.—
Rebecca Mead,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
-
While much of the Yucatan peninsula is covered by rain forest, the landscape designers improved on nature here creating a jungle that is less scrubby than the real thing and instead planted with dramatic Mexican fan palms and other tropical trees that create a solid green wall.—
John Newton,
Condé Nast Traveler,
5 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
With tens of millions of dollars already spent on TV ads, Democrats have dwarfed Republicans in fundraising so far.—
Russell Berman,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2026
-
All-male alliances like Christian/Devens and Coach’s bro-down have dwarfed the screen time allotted to Kamilla/Dee/Tiffany and Tiffany/Aubry.—
Joe Reid,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
What last Friday’s 5-0 win away to Sunderland might have done for Pereira is give him just a tiny bit more freedom; the opportunity to go slightly stronger with his team selections in these two games against Villa, either side of a still-vital trip to Chelsea on Monday.—
Jacob Tanswell,
New York Times,
30 Apr. 2026
-
The technique used to measure the singularities’ velocity could open the door to studying other tiny, fast phenomena in physics, chemistry and biology—or perhaps to find new ways to encode quantum information in materials, according to the researchers.—
Adam Kovac,
Scientific American,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
The Pittsburgh Penguins staved off elimination for the second straight game with a clutch Game 5 win over the Philadelphia Flyers on Monday night, but celebrations were briefly halted when a skirmish erupted over a controversial hit on Sidney Crosby after the final buzzer.—
Paulina Dedaj,
FOXNews.com,
28 Apr. 2026
-
The two biggest steel producers, Mobarakeh Steel and Khuzestan Steel, as well as smaller mills, halted production.—
Amir-Hussein Radjy,
Los Angeles Times,
28 Apr. 2026
Adjective
-
Tesla’s generating puny and declining returns on the plants, inventories and other assets now on its books.—
Shawn Tully,
Fortune,
23 Apr. 2026
-
Those nascent data centers were positively puny compared to today’s behemoths.—
Big Think,
Big Think,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
However, Apple hasn’t followed its megacap peers in sinking tens of billions of dollars into building out AI infrastructure, which has diminished the stock’s correlation to the rest of the tech industry.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
30 Apr. 2026
-
Still, the music flourished on terrestrial radio and music-video television, two venues for mass musical experiences whose power has diminished drastically in the streaming era.—
Jack Hamilton,
The Atlantic,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Stunted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stunted. Accessed 1 May. 2026.
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