dumbed

verb

past tense of dumb
as in shushed
to stop the noise or speech of the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears

Synonyms & Similar Words

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbed
  1. shushed
  2. silenced
  3. quieted
  4. muted
  5. hushed
  6. settled
  7. stilled
Verb
  • As the moment unfolded, Savannah shushed the future king and even briefly placed her hand over his mouth in an effort to keep him composed.
    — Staff Author, InStyle, 13 June 2026
  • The Giants offense got shushed Wednesday night by Shohei Ohtani, and their hitters went down almost as quietly against right-hander Emmet Sheehan.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Definition of shushed
Verb
  • In these difficult and incendiary times, perspectives such as Poe’s are often silenced and forced to remain in the shadows.
    — Chicago Tribune, Chicago Tribune, 16 Aug. 2026
  • Pure catharsis that exiles can dedicate in the name of those silenced on the island.
    — Sarah Moreno August 7, Miami Herald, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of silenced
Verb
  • None of this has quieted the hype, or the revisionist history.
    — Jill Lepore, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026
  • As the bartender quieted whatever terrible hair-metal mixtape had been playing over the house PA, and the lights glowed red on the stage, Ryan was trying to create the illusion of a behind-the-curtain, big-stage, rock star entrance.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of quieted
Verb
  • As the plot narrows into a search for a Manhunter, a murderous species whose vaunted ability to blend in is somewhat muted by every other alien having the same ability, each Lantern gets assigned a love interest.
    — Alison Herman, Variety, 14 Aug. 2026
  • When Robert offers to help, Thom’s expression is curiously muted.
    — Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Aug. 2026
Definition of muted
Verb
  • The impact is lavish yet hushed; welcoming yet sharply articulated.
    — Genevieve Walker, Architectural Digest, 2 Aug. 2026
  • But within the cozy world of footballing governance, any dissent was mostly hushed—except in Norway.
    — Tom Kludt, Vanity Fair, 17 July 2026
Definition of hushed
Verb
  • Conservative filmmaker Dinesh D’Souza has settled a defamation lawsuit filed by a Gwinnett County man in 2022, avoiding a trial that was set to begin Monday in federal court in Atlanta.
    — Caleb Groves, AJC.com, 18 Aug. 2026
  • The sisters shook off their poor first set, settled in, and won the first three games of the second as their timing and shot selection improved enough to take advantage of a slight dip from Stearns and Kostyuk.
    — Ava Wallace, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026
Definition of settled
Verb
  • Rebecca’s hands stilled, and the girl stared at her grandmother, wide-eyed.
    — Rachel Yoder, New Yorker, 2 Aug. 2026
  • Both the Moody Mansion and the 1892 Bishop’s Palace are museums stilled in time and filled with the marks of late 19th-century splendor.
    — Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 15 July 2026
Definition of stilled
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Browse Nearby Words

dumb down
dumbed
dumbed down
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Cite this Entry

“Dumbed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbed. Accessed 22 Aug. 2026.

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