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Glite Dictionary
burked

burked

9.9
Quietly stops something from being said or done
  • adjective
  • Archaic
translation icon : suprimido
  • The committee burked the proposal before it could be discussed publicly.

Examples

  • Concerns about the project were quietly burked by the administration.

  • The details of the scandal were burked by the authorities.

  • Any criticism of the policy was swiftly burked by management.

  • Don't be burked!

  • Any criticism of the policy was swiftly burked by management.

  • Concerns about the project were quietly burked by the administration.

  • The details of the scandal were burked by the authorities.

Synonyms

closeted
vsburked
1 7.2

Kept secret from the public, often about meetings or plans

is a quiet indirect stopping of expression rather than mere secrecy
to burke
vsburked
  • Archaic
9.9

To quietly stop something from being talked about

is the adjectival past form used to describe something rather than the verb
stifled
vsburked
5.8

Held back so it is not fully shown or said

is quiet and indirect rather than showing open pressure
suppressed
vsburked
5.7

Kept secret on purpose so people do not know about it

is quieter and indirect rather than openly restrained
smothered
vsburked
6.2

A sound, action, or feeling that is soft and held back so it does not fully show

is quieter and indirect rather than a suffocating or forceful prevention
squelched
vsburked
7.8

Stops a rumor or protest from continuing, often by force

is quieter and indirect rather than an active final ending
quelled
vsburked
6.9

Calm and under control after being stopped, often by force

is quiet and indirect rather than done by open force

How Suppressed

burked
  • Archaic
9.9
silenced
4.4
ignored
1.6
open
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

burked positive

Morphology

burked = burke (transparent) = burke + ed

Regular adjectival/past-participle formation from the verb 'burke'; learners who know the verb can infer the adjective.

Etymology

Burked comes from the name Burke, a 19th-century murderer who 'smothered' his victims quietly to hide what he did. Because his crimes were hidden and silent, to 'burke' something came to mean quietly stopping or hiding it, so burked means 'suppressed' or 'stifled' without open action.