- present participle of stifle.
stifling
Americanadjective
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of stifling
Explanation
Something stifling makes you feel suffocated. If your mother insists on accompanying you on your first date, that will probably feel stifling. Stifle comes from the Middle English word stuffle, which means to kill by cutting off air. A really hot movie theater is stifling, as is an environment where you never get any space to yourself. This word can also be used as a noun to refer to the act of repressing or shutting something down, such as a dictator's stifling of popular protests. Either way, if something is stifling, it's preventing something else from living freely and fully.
Vocabulary lists containing stifling
The Sweltering Words of Summer
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Holes
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Refugee
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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.
Millions of Americans sweltered in stifling heat and humidity Thursday with dangerous temperatures expected to hit major cities through the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
From Barron's • Jul. 2, 2026
Cutting the red tape that is stifling the economy could help.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 28, 2026
But critics claim the intended effects have backfired, instead stifling sales and slowing apartment construction by disincentivizing developers to build, as the tax eats into their profit margins.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 26, 2026
He also highlighted the difficulties faced by kitchen staff who are working in "stifling" temperatures to feed the pupils.
From BBC • Jun. 25, 2026
They worked at night, in rain, in stifling heat.
From "The Devil in the White City" by Erik Larson
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.
