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suffocating

suffocating

1 5.1
Making it hard to breathe because the air is hot, close, or not fresh
  • adjective
  • /ˈsʌfəˌkeɪtɪŋ/
translation icon : sofocante
  • And that was a stupid and suffocating way to live.
  • feel suffocating

Silence does not seem as suffocating because I wait patiently while she strains to find each word.

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Examples

  • It was life, the pangs of life, this awful, suffocating feeling; it was the last blow life could deal him.

    Blog text (6)
  • This is too suffocating.

  • This bitter sweet heat is suffocating, waiting and always hesitating.

  • It is covered by a dark, suffocating film, like a mask.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • I'd say the best way to start doing that is to take a look at other spaces that are less suffocating and sterile.

    Blog text (26)
  • Silence does not seem as suffocating because I wait patiently while she strains to find each word.

  • It's downright suffocating, and I've gone through severe periods of depression over it.

    Blog text (14)
  • It was cool inside, cool and a little dank, which might have been refreshing but somehow managed to feel twice as suffocating as the heat.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • I would find it so suffocating and abusive (for me), and if my daughter were in one of these, I'd never get a moment's peace until she broke free.

    Blog text (25)
  • The room felt suffocating because there was no open window to let in fresh air.

Synonyms

close
vssuffocating
29 3.4

Too warm and without fresh air

is more general, not always very hard to breathe but just warm
claustrophobic
vssuffocating
15 6.7

A small, closed space that makes you feel trapped

is focused on breathing difficulty and poor air rather than smallness or fear
stuffy
vssuffocating
13 2.7

A room with little fresh air that feels uncomfortable to breathe in

is stronger and can include heat or tight enclosure causing more difficulty
stifling
vssuffocating
4 5.3

Very hot, close air that makes it hard to breathe

is mainly about intense heat rather than general lack of fresh air
airless
vssuffocating
2 4.7

A place with no air where you cannot breathe

is about poor air quality rather than total absence of air
unventilated
vssuffocating
1 6.3

A room with no fresh air moving in

is used more broadly and can describe other causes of poor air
smothering
vssuffocating
1 6.7

Thick hot air that makes it hard to breathe

is used more generally and not focused on trapped heat
choking
vssuffocating
1 5.0

Making it hard to breathe because of smoke, dust, heat, or lack of fresh air

is more general and may not list specific irritants like dust
suffocative
vssuffocating
8.6

Hot, heavy air that makes it hard to breathe

is less clinical and more everyday in tone
asphyxiating
vssuffocating
  • Specialized
9.6

Making it very hard to breathe because there is not enough air

is less extreme and focuses on breathing difficulty rather than life threatening lack
unairable
vssuffocating
8.2

Too closed to let in fresh air

is more general and can describe temporary poor air, not fixed
unbreathable
vssuffocating
7.1

Material that does not let air through, making you feel hot and damp

is milder and focuses on discomfort rather than impossible breathing
smothery
vssuffocating
8.9

Air that is very close and makes it hard to breathe

is about actual lack of fresh air rather than only the feeling of being trapped

Antonyms

18 1.0

An outdoor area with no cover

Having fresh air moving into and out of a room

How Stifling

smothering
1 6.7
suffocating
1 5.1
airless
4 4.9
stuffy
13 2.7
close
29 3.4

Surface Forms

suffocating positive

Morphology

suffocating = suffocate (transparent) = suffocate + ing

Formed by the verb 'suffocate' plus '-ing' to create a participial adjective; the meaning is directly predictable from the verb.

Etymology

Suffocating comes from the verb suffocate, which originally meant 'to choke' or 'to smother'. So, a suffocating place 'chokes' you by keeping out fresh air and making it hard to breathe.