Stifling

3 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Stifle \Sti"fle\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. {Stifled}; p. pr. & vb. n.
     {Stifling}.] [Freq. of OE. stif stiff; cf. Icel. st[imac]fla
     to dam up.]
     1. To stop the breath of by crowding something into the
        windpipe, or introducing an irrespirable substance into
        the lungs; to choke; to suffocate; to cause the death of


        by such means; as, to stifle one with smoke or dust.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Stifled with kisses, a sweet death he dies.
                                                    --Dryden.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I took my leave, being half stifled with the
              closeness of the room.                --Swift.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     2. To stop; to extinguish; to deaden; to quench; as, to
        stifle the breath; to stifle a fire or flame.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              Bodies . . . stifle in themselves the rays which
              they do not reflect or transmit.      --Sir I.
                                                    Newton.
        [1913 Webster]
  
     3. To suppress the manifestation or report of; to smother; to
        conceal from public knowledge; as, to stifle a story; to
        stifle passion.
        [1913 Webster]
  
              I desire only to have things fairly represented as
              they really are; no evidence smothered or stifled.
                                                    --Waterland.
        [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  stifling
       adj : characterized by oppressive heat and humidity; "the summer
             was sultry and oppressive"; "the stifling atmosphere";
             "the sulfurous atmosphere preceding a thunderstorm"
             [syn: {sultry}, {sulfurous}, {sulphurous}]
       n : forceful prevention; putting down by power or authority;
           "the suppression of heresy"; "the quelling of the
           rebellion"; "the stifling of all dissent" [syn: {suppression},
            {crushing}, {quelling}]

From Moby Thesaurus II by Grady Ward, 1.0 [moby-thes]:

  47 Moby Thesaurus words for "stifling":
     airless, breathless, breezeless, choking, close, constrictive,
     contrary, counterproductive, crosswise, extinguishment, hindering,
     hindersome, humid, ill-ventilated, in the way, inhibiting,
     inhibitive, interrupting, interruptive, muggy, obstructing,
     obstructive, obstruent, occlusive, oppressive, overpowering,
     quashing, quenching, repressive, restrictive, smothering, smudgy,
     squashing, squelching, sticky, strangling, stuffy, suffocating,
     sultry, suppression, suppressive, troublesome, unbearable,
     unendurable, unvented, unventilated, windless