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stifling

American  
[stahy-fling] / ˈstaɪ flɪŋ /

adjective

  1. suffocating; oppressively close.

    the stifling atmosphere of the cavern.
stifling British  
/ ˈstaɪflɪŋ /

adjective

  1. oppressively hot or stuffy

    a stifling atmosphere
"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

  • stiflingly adverb
  • unstifling adjective

Etymology

Origin of stifling

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

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.

All of that without taking into account the stifling heat.

From The Wall Street Journal

Millions of Australians were Thursday warned to prepare for a stifling heatwave stoking the risk of "catastrophic" bushfires across swathes of the country.

From Barron's

Perpetua tells us what it was like to be in a Roman prison: the stifling heat and the press of bodies.

From The Wall Street Journal

Despite the stifling heat, the Australia bowling was collectively brilliant, never giving England any respite.

From BBC

Despite initiating procedures to speed the rebuilding process, both city and county have faced backlash from fire victims who complain of being slowed by stifling bureaucracy.

From Los Angeles Times

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.