Synonyms

deterred

American

[dih-turd] / dɪˈtɜrd /

adjective

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.
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

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.

It’s the legacy of the founder, who refused to be deterred by naysayers or obstacles to growth, said Saavedra’s son.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 12, 2026

"That pressure never silenced him nor deterred him, he continued to stand firm for his constituents and his principles."

From BBC • Apr. 9, 2026

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

Its conclusion served as a red flag that deterred some parts of the Pentagon from using Grok, the people said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 27, 2026

But the appearance of its owner, the burliest of several women now employing the establishment’s facilities, deterred him.

From "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote

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