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Synonyms

deterred

American  
[dih-turd] / dɪˈtɜrd /

adjective

  1. discouraged or restrained from acting or proceeding.

    A visible thief is a deterred thief, so installing motion-sensing lights on your property helps to protect it.

  2. kept from happening; prevented or checked.

    Assuming that those 79,000 deterred property crimes have an average cost of $1,900 each, that’s a savings of over $150 million.

verb

  1. the simple past tense and past participle of deter.

Other Word Forms

  • undeterred adjective

Etymology

Origin of deterred

deter ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

KB Home shares were under pressure on Wednesday after the company said it’s already seeing prospective buyers deterred by the war in Iran as the Los Angeles home builder cut its full-year guidance.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Clovis coach Cooper Steele said his team had to be aggressive with Centennial’s size, so the free throws the Huskies made were something that couldn’t be deterred.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 13, 2026

Tamar Cohen agreed that she would not be deterred and planned to attend her synagogue as usual.

From Barron's • Mar. 13, 2026

She said disabled people who want to get into acting shouldn't be deterred by the idea that disabled actors would be "fighting for the same jobs".

From BBC • Mar. 6, 2026

“You will perhaps be deterred by the rising of your stomach,” he writes.

From "The Mona Lisa Vanishes" by Nicholas Day

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.