stifling

[stahy-fling]

adjective

1. suffocating; oppressively close.

   the stifling atmosphere of the cavern.

stifling

/ ˈstaɪflɪŋ /

adjective

1. oppressively hot or stuffy

   a stifling atmosphere

Other Word Forms

• stiflingly adverb
• unstifling adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of stifling¹

First recorded in 1550–60; stifle ¹ + -ing ²

Example Sentences

The Europeans say that's wrong because the measure is not about stifling trade but about cutting planet-warming gases – tackling climate change.

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In 2023, Kenya introduced a moratorium on new developments in the Maasai Mara game reserve in response to concerns that poorly regulated tourism development was stifling the migration and ecosystem.

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Given the outsize economic and regulatory influence of the U.S. on the global stage, they thought this hostility was stifling the industry’s development.

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Dozens of Europe's biggest companies, including France's Airbus and Germany's Lufthansa and Mercedes-Benz, called for a pause in July on the AI law which they warn risks stifling innovation.

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USC’s defense was the story at that point, with the Trojans stifling Illinois State from the start, holding the Redbirds to a mere three baskets inside the arc before halftime.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Related Words

• fetid 
• humid 
• muggy 
• stuffy 
• suffocating www.thesaurus.com
• sultry