as in frustrating
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as in thwarting
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Dissimilar Words
as in hampering
to prevent from achieving a goal
a young man with big dreams who refused to be balked by the many challenges he faced in making them a reality
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Recent Examples of balking
John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Today, house hunters are balking at lofty pricing.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
However, the Hawks don’t appear to be the only team balking at the thought of him on another long-term max deal.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Some Fed officials are balking at further cuts while inflation remains above the central bank’s 2% target.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
Progressive Democrats are balking, citing a lack of clarity on healthcare subsidies.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
According to Disney, the carriage fee increases that Google is balking at are in line with what Disney has successfully negotiated with other distributors, including it own Hulu + Live TV and Fubo services.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
After years of balking, the Intelligence Community is now embracing this commercial turn.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
San Diego hotel and restaurant owners are balking at a city proposal to charge them steeply higher fees for their valet parking spaces and on-street outdoor dining areas.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Verb
Some investors are balking at paying those high prices and are instead looking for off-ramps.
—John Towfighi, CNN Money, 6 Feb. 2026
Today, house hunters are balking at lofty pricing.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 21 Jan. 2026
However, the Hawks don’t appear to be the only team balking at the thought of him on another long-term max deal.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes.com, 7 Jan. 2026
Some Fed officials are balking at further cuts while inflation remains above the central bank’s 2% target.
—Paul Wiseman, Fortune, 16 Dec. 2025
Progressive Democrats are balking, citing a lack of clarity on healthcare subsidies.
—Phaedra Trethan, USA Today, 10 Nov. 2025
According to Disney, the carriage fee increases that Google is balking at are in line with what Disney has successfully negotiated with other distributors, including it own Hulu + Live TV and Fubo services.
—Todd Spangler, Variety, 31 Oct. 2025
After years of balking, the Intelligence Community is now embracing this commercial turn.
—Literary Hub, 28 Oct. 2025
San Diego hotel and restaurant owners are balking at a city proposal to charge them steeply higher fees for their valet parking spaces and on-street outdoor dining areas.
—David Garrick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 15 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for balking
Adjective
-
Francisco Lindor was expected to be the captain of the team, but in a frustrating turn of events for the Puerto Rican team, he was denied the insurance needed to participate.—
Abbey Mastracco,
New York Daily News,
8 Feb. 2026
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First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Rescue Barrier Balm When Associate Editor Katie Akin began dealing with frustrating dry patches this winter, First Aid Beauty's Ultra Repair Rescue Barrier Balm truly came to the rescue.—
Melanie Fincher,
Southern Living,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The move comes as the container shipping industry at large is reeling from declines in freight rates over the past year, hampering the bottom lines of many carriers.—
Glenn Taylor,
Sourcing Journal,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The outages have affected Anastasia’s work, hampering her ability to respond to clients via messaging apps.—
Yuliya Talmazan,
NBC news,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Her baffling disappearance has gripped the nation, leading many Americans to question how an octogenarian leading a sleepy life in the Southwest was taken while her neighbors were asleep.—
Chris Kenning,
USA Today,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Bundy finds this ideological betrayal totally baffling.—
Jacob Stern,
The Atlantic,
1 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
At the state level, bills (SB 1301 / HB 1323) were filed in January that also were aimed at reducing collisions at Florida rail crossings.—
Brittany Wallman,
Miami Herald,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The global reach of a streamer like Netflix helped accelerate that crossing of borders, which was typically the business of small but savvy companies that know how to target a campaign.—
David Canfield,
HollywoodReporter,
10 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The ceiling thwarting her exceptional talent originated from the constraints of tradition.—
Marcus Thompson II,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
-
Revolution is developing drugs that target a molecular driver of cancers known as RAS and its experimental drugs seek to block the driver, thereby thwarting common cancers including lung, pancreatic, and colon that have proven difficult to treat.—
Ed Silverman,
STAT,
26 Jan. 2026
Noun
-
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization was formed in 1949 to counter the security threat posed by the Soviet Union during the Cold War, and its deterrence is underpinned by a strong American troop presence in Europe.—
Lorne Cook,
Fortune,
1 Feb. 2026
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According to the report, the systems were activated to disrupt and warn off foreign aircraft, offering a rare glimpse into how Beijing integrates electronic warfare into its maritime patrols and regional deterrence strategy.—
Bojan Stojkovski,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
Verb
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In the heavily Latino area of south Oklahoma City, ICE agents have been patrolling in unmarked vehicles and stopping work trucks of roofers, painters and electricians, Brooks Jimenez said.—
Nuria Martinez-Keel,
Oklahoma Voice,
10 Feb. 2026
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Lily did exactly the right thing by stopping and asking first.—
Kurt Knutsson,
FOXNews.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Noun
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Inflation has weighed on shoppers, and customers have voiced frustration over cluttered stores and inconsistent merchandise that strayed from the retailer’s identity as a polished, affordable-chic chain.—
Emily Lorsch,
NBC news,
10 Feb. 2026
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DeRozan said Sacramento’s poor play was the source of his outward show of frustration following an alley-oop dunk by Zion Williamson in the third period.—
HECTOR AMEZCUA,
Sacbee.com,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Balking.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balking. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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