squelched

7.8

Stops a rumor or protest from continuing, often by force

adjective
/ˈskwɛltʃt/

: sofocado

The manager squelched rumors about company layoffs during the meeting.

Examples

The teacher squelched any further arguments by stating the final decision clearly.
His disagreement was quickly squelched by the overwhelming support for the idea.
Your growth will be squelched by the dark love bomber.

Synonyms

quenched

vssquelched

6.3

A feeling, protest, or movement that loses power and ends

focuses more on preventing continuation or growth rather than full extinguishing

quelled

vssquelched

6.9

Calm and under control after being stopped, often by force

is about stopping growth or continuation without implying force

smothered

vssquelched

6.2

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

focuses on ending or preventing continuance rather than blocking expression

stifled

vssquelched

5.8

Held back so it is not fully shown or said

means stopped or prevented from continuing rather than merely being held back

silenced

vssquelched

4.4

Made quiet or unable to speak by something outside

covers broader suppression and prevention beyond only muting speech

Antonyms

to encourage

325 2.1

Help something grow or develop

to foster

104 3.7

To encourage the growth or development of something

How Suppressed

extinguished

Specialized

7.2

crushed

4.2

squelched

7.8

subdued

11 5.5

reduced

1.6

Surface Forms

squelched positive

Morphology

squelched = squelch (transparent) = squelch + ed

Formed by the regular past-participle suffix '-ed' on the verb 'squelch', so the adjectival meaning 'suppressed' is directly derived.

Etymology

Squelched comes from a word that copies a wet, sucking sound, like stepping in mud or squashing something soft. A helpful way to remember it is to think of putting out a noise or problem: to squelch a rumor or protest is to 'crush' or 'silence' it so it cannot continue.