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Glite Dictionary
tongue-tied

tongue-tied

9 5.8
Unable to speak easily because you are nervous or embarrassed
  • adjective
  • /ˈtʌŋˌtaɪd/
translation icon : sin palabras
  • I saw Barbie outside and I started talking to her, but I got all tongue-tied and I wasn't making sense.
  • get tongue-tied
  • feel tongue-tied
  • become tongue-tied

You might be tongue tied in every circumstance and we don't know also about strength or our bodies.

Examples

  • Reuben felt tongue-tied and wished he could handle himself as smoothly and easily as Trevor did.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • I was so tongue-tied during the presentation that I forgot my main points.

  • It's normal to be a little tongue-tied at first.

    R.I.P.D. (2013)

  • At first I was pretty tongue-tied myself.

    The Stupids (1996)

  • I was so tongue-tied around you at first, but I wanted you to think I was smart.

    Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)

  • If not, you may become tongue-tied and do a poor job of it when the time comes.

    Blog text (14)

  • In the company of women, he had always found himself tongue-tied.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Is that why she was so tongue-tied and felt so foolish around him?

    Fiction book (1996)

  • I feel like a tongue-tied schoolboy.

    The Barkleys of Broadway (1949)

  • Patrick was too surprised and tongue-tied to respond, so Tia helped him out.

    Fiction book (2001)

Synonyms

speechless
vstongue-tied
61 3.1

Unable to speak for a short time because you feel very surprised or shocked

is inability to speak due to nervousness or embarrassment instead of shock
incoherent
vstongue-tied
11 7.2

Unable to speak clearly because of strong emotion or illness

is unclear speech caused mainly by nervousness or embarrassment
phraseless
vstongue-tied
8.8

Not able to find words because of strong feeling

is caused by nervousness or embarrassment rather than no clear reason

Antonyms

articulate
64 4.6

Able to express ideas clearly in speech or writing

fluent
4 2.8

Expressing yourself easily and clearly in speech, writing, or performance

How Speechless

dumbstruck
5 6.5
speechless
61 3.1
tongue-tied
9 5.8
nervous
∞ 1.3
hesitant
73 3.2

Surface Forms

tongue-tied positive

Morphology

tongue-tied = tongue + tie (transparent) = tongue + tie + ed

The meaning 'unable to speak' is a straightforward metaphor from 'tongue' + 'tied' (tie + -ed), so learners who know the components can readily infer the sense.

Etymology

Tongue-tied comes from the simple image of a tongue that is tied so it cannot move. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine your tongue held by a string, which explains why someone is 'unable to speak' or too nervous to find the right words.