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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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
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
Although muffled voices can be heard, the video is too dark to identify people.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 21 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
Only the sounds of our muffled footsteps, the chitter of songbirds, and the breathy cool of an early-autumn breeze in the treetops break the silence.
—Eric J. Wallace, Outside, 24 Oct. 2025
Divers have told tales of muffled voices, phantom lights and shadows, and other eerie encounters during their time beneath the sea.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
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
That should tug on our hearts since Willa’s worth caring for, but the emotional heft between dad and daughter gets muffled since there’s just not enough oxygen given to those scenes.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Adjective
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
Although muffled voices can be heard, the video is too dark to identify people.
—Andy Rose, CNN Money, 21 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
Only the sounds of our muffled footsteps, the chitter of songbirds, and the breathy cool of an early-autumn breeze in the treetops break the silence.
—Eric J. Wallace, Outside, 24 Oct. 2025
Divers have told tales of muffled voices, phantom lights and shadows, and other eerie encounters during their time beneath the sea.
—Beth Luberecki, USA Today, 11 Oct. 2025
Verb
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
That should tug on our hearts since Willa’s worth caring for, but the emotional heft between dad and daughter gets muffled since there’s just not enough oxygen given to those scenes.
—Randy Myers, Mercury News, 19 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muffled
Adjective
-
While the would-be leaders of France and Germany issued sharp rebukes to Trump, the opposition in central and eastern Europe was more muted.—
Christian Edwards,
CNN Money,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Henson’s makeup and hair complemented the theatricality of her attire, with her hair tossed in a high bun and the actress’ makeup featuring dramatic eyes and a muted lip.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Arsenal have recently looked stifled in a way that the creative department of a title-challenging team, high on its own output, should not.—
Oliver Kay,
New York Times,
30 Jan. 2026
-
Minnesota got power play goals from Kirill Kaprizov and Joel Eriksson Ek and a shorthanded goal from Matt Boldy, but was stifled defensively much of the night, most notably at even strength.—
Jess Myers,
Twin Cities,
25 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Forensic evidence and cover-up claims Prosecutors told jurors that McGuire shot her husband inside the couple’s Woodbridge apartment, dismembered his body, and wrapped the remains in black trash bags before placing them into suitcases.—
Stepheny Price,
FOXNews.com,
1 Feb. 2026
-
That could be one takeaway from Sweden’s Göteborg Film Festival, Scandinavia’s biggest film-TV event, which wrapped Saturday after five days of vibrant discussion and dealing at its international marketplaces, the Nordic Film Market and TV Drama Vision.—
Marta Balaga,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Add 1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings, and 8 garlic cloves, crushed, and cook, stirring often, until softened and light golden around the edges, 3–4 minutes.—
Chris Morocco,
Bon Appetit Magazine,
27 Jan. 2026
-
What is offered in Nike’s turquoise sneaker is a softened, market-safe version of his legacy, stripped of its demands.—
Debbie Millman,
Time,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
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On the other side of a shallow gully shrouded by large trees was a clearing several football fields in size, like a meadow.—
Scott Eden,
Rolling Stone,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Outside, cantilevered decks and platforms overlook a lap pool, spa, sauna and cabana shrouded in eucalyptus, sycamore, oak and bamboo.—
Jack Flemming,
Los Angeles Times,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Most guests arrive by water taxi, entering a marble-floored lobby enveloped by original frescoes and architectural motifs that reflect the building’s 18th-century royal heritage.—
Nicole Kliest,
Vogue,
22 Jan. 2026
-
Jeffrey Traviss King Neighbors insist that tension, with King at the center, has enveloped the middle-class neighborhood for upwards of eight years.—
Eric Adler,
Kansas City Star,
21 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
The 12-track effort is full of wide, sprawling arrangements that segue from hushed and contemplative to liberated.—
Sophie Williams,
Billboard,
28 Jan. 2026
-
Omniscience gives way to a motley chorus of inner monologues and hushed conversations, kitchen table squabbles, restless thoughts, wistful memories.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
22 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
In Churchill, the trash sites have all been bear-proofed (enclosed so the animals can’t graze among the garbage), but not so in Arviat, where Inuit enforcers show up in their buggies to honk loudly and chase the bears away from open-air landfills.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
1 Feb. 2026
-
The owner’s deck aft is arranged around a flexible bar and versatile dining area that can be fully enclosed via sliding glass doors.—
Bill Springer,
Forbes.com,
28 Jan. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muffled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muffled. Accessed 4 Feb. 2026.
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