tongue-tied

American  

[tuhng-tahyd] / ˈtʌŋˌtaɪd /

adjective

1. unable to speak, as from shyness, embarrassment, or surprise.

2. affected with tongue-tie.

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tongue-tied British  

adjective

1. speechless, esp with embarrassment or shyness

2. having a condition of tongue-tie

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Etymology

Origin of tongue-tied

First recorded in 1520–30; tongue + tie ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

tongue-tied

Make it five minutes,” the software would, in theory, be able to figure out what the tongue-tied person meant to say.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 30, 2024

Speech production is a complex neural phenomenon that has left researchers explaining it tongue-tied.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 11, 2023

“There wasn’t …” It was the first time I’d ever seen Harry tongue-tied.

From Slate ● May 27, 2023

During our studio visit, Bradford turned uncharacteristically tongue-tied when he tried to articulate the sculpture’s relationship to that period.

From New York Times ● Apr. 19, 2023

And she knew that Nana would get to do the things that she—brown and tongue-tied and full of the wrong kinds of words—could not.

From "Out of Darkness" by Ashley Hope Pérez