as in muted
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1
as in stifled
to deaden the sound of
the walls muffled their conversation so that only a low murmur was heard
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in wrapped
to surround or cover closely
the airport had been muffled in fog all morning long
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muffled
Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
That quiet was punctuated only by muffled bangs, as Sugar Bowl ski patrollers set off explosives in the peaks above to mitigate the danger of an avalanche inbounds at the resort.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
My sisters teased me about my muffled giggles under the covers in the middle of the night.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
However, her panicked words are met with muffled sounds and a quick hang-up.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Her voice is muffled because her face is pressed against his chest.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
The form can capture, perhaps better than any other, the muffled quality of cold afternoons and days spent indoors.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
There’s a muffled quality to the voice, and all his vowels seem to bend in the middle.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Ear Pain or Pressure A feeling of fullness in your ears, pain, or muffled hearing often means fluid has built up behind your eardrum.
—Health, 3 Dec. 2025
Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Highway traffic may have muffled the sound of gunshots.
—Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Using context-aware algorithms, this technology can, for example, be used to help distinguish between speech and noise, predict and suppress unwanted clamor in real time, and attempt to clean up speech that is muffled or distorted.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2026
The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that’s just the TV overlords punching air.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
The audio is muffled and at times difficult to discern.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2025
The summer noise of saplings and shrubs and bug nests and grass and flowers had been muffled by the snow.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
This is the perfect opportunity for the Business Roundtable to advocate for its members in a forceful, direct challenge to the administration, but it has been perplexingly muffled.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
Adjective
Day was dedicated to the bit, making Hernandez crack with muffled laughter.
—Maira Garcia, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2026
That quiet was punctuated only by muffled bangs, as Sugar Bowl ski patrollers set off explosives in the peaks above to mitigate the danger of an avalanche inbounds at the resort.
—Ariane Lange, Sacbee.com, 20 Feb. 2026
My sisters teased me about my muffled giggles under the covers in the middle of the night.
—Faith Karimi, CNN Money, 17 Feb. 2026
However, her panicked words are met with muffled sounds and a quick hang-up.
—Liza Esquibias, PEOPLE, 13 Jan. 2026
Her voice is muffled because her face is pressed against his chest.
—Allegra Goodman, New Yorker, 4 Jan. 2026
The form can capture, perhaps better than any other, the muffled quality of cold afternoons and days spent indoors.
—The Atlantic Culture Desk, The Atlantic, 26 Dec. 2025
There’s a muffled quality to the voice, and all his vowels seem to bend in the middle.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 17 Dec. 2025
Ear Pain or Pressure A feeling of fullness in your ears, pain, or muffled hearing often means fluid has built up behind your eardrum.
—Health, 3 Dec. 2025
Verb
Bunny, wearing a knitted Balaclava and carrying a clip board, called out commands to the chief electrician in a voice muffled with pain.
—Literary Hub, 13 Mar. 2026
Highway traffic may have muffled the sound of gunshots.
—Graham Womack
updated January 15, Sacbee.com, 16 Jan. 2026
Using context-aware algorithms, this technology can, for example, be used to help distinguish between speech and noise, predict and suppress unwanted clamor in real time, and attempt to clean up speech that is muffled or distorted.
—IEEE Spectrum, 7 Jan. 2026
The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.
—George Packer, The Atlantic, 6 Nov. 2025
Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that’s just the TV overlords punching air.
—Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 28 Oct. 2025
The audio is muffled and at times difficult to discern.
—Lucien Bruggeman, ABC News, 14 Oct. 2025
The summer noise of saplings and shrubs and bug nests and grass and flowers had been muffled by the snow.
—Hazlitt, 8 Oct. 2025
This is the perfect opportunity for the Business Roundtable to advocate for its members in a forceful, direct challenge to the administration, but it has been perplexingly muffled.
—Jason Ma, Fortune, 21 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muffled
Adjective
-
There was brief and muted laughter.—
Dallas Morning News,
Dallas Morning News,
19 Mar. 2026
-
Interiors skew minimal and elemental (raw wood, concrete, metal) and spotlight a muted palette of sand and dusty olive green; shades that pull from the sunbaked landscape dotted with palms and agaves.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
18 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Two changes in particular stifled condo construction.—
M. Nolan Gray,
The Atlantic,
13 Mar. 2026
-
Edwards scored 34 points, but no one else tallied more than 14 as the Timberwolves’ half-court offense was stifled all afternoon.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
Concentric bands of short linear patterns wrapped around the rim.—
Maria Mocerino,
Interesting Engineering,
15 Mar. 2026
-
The child was wearing a yellow onesie and was wrapped in a blue blanket.—
SYDNEY PAGE THE WASHINGTON POST,
Arkansas Online,
15 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
Room-temperature eggs, along with softened butter and cream cheese, blend more smoothly, helping the batter emulsify and bake evenly.—
Inés Anguiano,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
16 Mar. 2026
-
The ground beef was chopped fine on the grill and folded together with sweet, softened onions and perfectly melted American cheese, all tucked into a soft roll with crisp lettuce and tomato for balance.—
Evan Moore,
Charlotte Observer,
25 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
The scene is interrupted when in the scribe’s home, shrouded in darkness, eerie sounds distract him from what’s on his digital page.—
Carlos Aguilar,
Variety,
15 Mar. 2026
-
My family of four stayed in a one-bedroom pavilion, which was shrouded by natural flora.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
14 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The roughly 2,600-square-foot structure is set into a sloping site and enveloped in the natural landscape along a private road.—
Abby Montanez,
Robb Report,
17 Mar. 2026
-
Delroy Lindo then enveloped him in a fatherly embrace.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
16 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
There’s a beguiling dissonance between the hushed voiceover and the images of ships carrying cables and dropping them in the ocean for the internet to reach the island.—
Murtada Elfadl,
Variety,
20 Mar. 2026
-
That was on display as volunteers spoke of the lighthouse’s history in hushed, reverent voices.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
11 Mar. 2026
Verb
-
The base is enclosed on all four sides and has plenty of room for pool floaties, outdoor seat cushions, or a few bags of potting soil.—
Paige Bennett,
Better Homes & Gardens,
15 Mar. 2026
-
On Simpson Street, between Shields Avenue and Spruce Tree Drive, two new restaurant pavilions have been fully enclosed and await finishing touches for a summer opening, Hahm said.—
Frederick Melo,
Twin Cities,
15 Mar. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muffled. Accessed 22 Mar. 2026.
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