as in cowed
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variants
or browbeat
as in intimidated
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats
they would often browbeat the younger child until he cried
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of browbeaten
Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Not to the extent that the user is necessarily being browbeaten.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The administration’s apparent plan to resolve this difficulty is to shame or browbeat members of the artistic community into performing there.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
Not to mention the relentless White House campaign to browbeat Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates while auditioning dovish successors.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Some of them used that stage to browbeat Democratic politicians.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2025
But analysts have said Trump’s aggressive campaign to browbeat Powell into backing rate cuts could jeopardize the Fed’s autonomy and unnerve markets.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Adjective
Audiences who endured the Miramax era have been browbeaten to believe that the best picture Oscar should go to a period piece that chokes out a sob from audiences.
—Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026
Not to the extent that the user is necessarily being browbeaten.
—Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Davies more or less browbeat her into terminating the pregnancy, and dropped out of college.
—Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026
The administration’s apparent plan to resolve this difficulty is to shame or browbeat members of the artistic community into performing there.
—Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025
Not to mention the relentless White House campaign to browbeat Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates while auditioning dovish successors.
—Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Some of them used that stage to browbeat Democratic politicians.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 11 Aug. 2025
But analysts have said Trump’s aggressive campaign to browbeat Powell into backing rate cuts could jeopardize the Fed’s autonomy and unnerve markets.
—Paul Davidson, USA Today, 8 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for browbeaten
Verb
-
And then Tom honestly intimidated me, in the movie.—
Glenn Garner,
Deadline,
8 Feb. 2026
-
Protest organizer Josh Lees, from the Palestinian Action Group, says demonstrators will not be intimidated.—
Hilary Whiteman,
CNN Money,
8 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Ethics of risk There are many examples of Christian leaders who have taken on risks out of a religious and moral obligation to provide spiritual care for people in need or advocate for oppressed communities.—
Laura E. Alexander,
The Conversation,
10 Feb. 2026
-
The film is really about being Iranian, growing up in an oppressed religious context, and becoming full of rage and anger and hate and leaving your country for the hope of finding a better life.—
Georg Szalai,
HollywoodReporter,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That defense straight up bullied him.—
Prince J. Grimes,
USA Today,
9 Feb. 2026
-
The young boy then has to navigate being 10 and being bullied, having crushes on girls, all while older siblings Yvette (Essence Atkins) and Marcus (Jason Weaver) cringe at the thought of him being at the same high school.—
Stephanie Sengwe,
PEOPLE,
4 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Wonder if there's a former Alabama defensive coach looking to be a coordinator for a downtrodden NFC East franchise.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
8 Jan. 2026
-
Before diving into season 2, why not reacquaint yourself with The Pitt's heroic (and downtrodden) team?—
Randall Colburn,
Entertainment Weekly,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
This is no longer about ideology, this is about standing up for those who are being wrongly arrested, being unfairly harassed or being made to feel constantly frightened in their own homes.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Why was Caesar Augustus frightened of Ovid?—
Sarah Rumpf-Whitten,
FOXNews.com,
31 Jan. 2026
Adjective
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Top with crushed peppermints, candy canes, star mints, sprinkles, or any other holiday garnish that suits your fancy.—
Kimberly Holland,
Southern Living,
8 Feb. 2026
-
To appeal to the masses this one includes cheese dip and crushed croutons.—
Karla Walsh,
Better Homes & Gardens,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
That scream likely scared off the man who showed no signs of backing off.—
Jermont Terry,
CBS News,
10 Feb. 2026
-
Broadly, more IPOs are expected this year, thanks to interest rate cuts and a large backlog of companies that have been scared off by market volatility and recession fears.—
Amelia Lucas,
CNBC,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
On this occasion, his team only threatened to restore parity once, Henderson blocking Kostoulas’s shot after he was put through by Georginio Rutter.—
Andy Naylor,
New York Times,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Proctor threatened to shoot the animal.—
Richard Winton,
Los Angeles Times,
9 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Browbeaten.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/browbeaten. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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