1
as in uncomfortable
lacking social grace and assurance
the conversation was somewhat stilted as we didn't seem to share any interests
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in formal
marked by or showing careful attention to set forms and details
a stilted letter of apology that was written and accepted with equal measures of insincerity
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Recent Examples of stilted
And even in what was a stilted match played in an increasingly irritable atmosphere, Rogers and Tielemans delivered with an assist each.
—
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
This was a stilted, corrupt attempt to juice a friend’s stock, and certainly beneath the office of the presidency.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Overall, the video comes across pretty stilted for most of its run time.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 July 2024
Not for him the literary circles of London or the stilted dinner parties of Brahmin Boston.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stilted
Jacob Tanswell, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025
This was a stilted, corrupt attempt to juice a friend’s stock, and certainly beneath the office of the presidency.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 12 Mar. 2025
Overall, the video comes across pretty stilted for most of its run time.
—Jason P. Frank, Vulture, 26 July 2024
Not for him the literary circles of London or the stilted dinner parties of Brahmin Boston.
—Maggie Doherty, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025
See All Example Sentences for stilted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stilted
Adjective
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But after a smattering of deeply uncomfortable and boundary-crossing hangs, Austin decides to sever ties with Craig, who slowly loses his mind trying to win back his erstwhile buddy.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA Today,
24 May 2025
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The film is also an introspective interrogation of Cruise's stardom, confronting its main character with uncomfortable realities: his world is artificial, insulated, and fleeting, and his multimillion-dollar good looks could disappear in an instant.—
Wesley Stenzel,
EW.com,
24 May 2025
Adjective
-
This installation for the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Cantor Roof Garden comprises four sculptural elements that explore the sonic and formal potential of simple stringed instruments.—
Caitlin Woolsey,
Artforum,
1 June 2025
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The city is still preparing its formal response to the findings.—
Jeff McDonald,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
1 June 2025
Adjective
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Eddie's real parentage is revealed, Maeve is outed, Kevin catches up with Rusby, Bella brokers her deal, and Alice attends an awkward Harrigan dinner.—
Matt Cabral,
EW.com,
26 May 2025
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There is also an awkward disconnect: Gmail’s recent encryption upgrade clashes with its AI upgrades.—
Zak Doffman,
Forbes.com,
25 May 2025
Adjective
-
Wilson completed a pass to Dee Eskridge, who made a nice one-handed catch with cornerback Kendall Sheffield in coverage.—
Barry Jackson,
Miami Herald,
28 May 2025
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Personally choosing to use less water is a nice start, but grander actions will be needed to effectively address the interrelated issues that drive the overuse of water.—
Suwanna Gauntlett Upjohn,
Forbes.com,
28 May 2025
Adjective
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These transitions, between past and present, are sometimes clumsy but sometimes genuinely sweet, as with an old letter that near-simultaneously is dictated and written, received and read, and finally rediscovered (and only partially understood) in the 21st century.—
Jessica Kiang,
Variety,
27 May 2025
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Wildlife officials helped remove a black bear found hanging out in the kitchen of a Kentucky home after an impressive, yet clumsy break-in, photos show.—
Mitchell Willetts,
Kansas City Star,
25 May 2025
Adjective
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Instead, they are selected and rearranged to form a narrative of gradual debasement: a semantic descent from the decorous to the vulgar, often ending with crude references to the body.—
Jeffrey Weiss,
Artforum,
1 May 2025
-
Aside from a series of gruesome martyr scenes frescoed on the interior wall of the second ring in the late 16th century, the decor reflects late Imperial taste for decorous abstraction and costly materials.—
The New York Times,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
2 Mar. 2025
Adjective
-
Today, hydrogen bombs have replaced atom bombs in most arsenals, creating a world of uneasy standoffs among nuclear foes.—
William J. Broad,
New York Times,
19 May 2025
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With the rage virus still raging, a group of survivors, including a husband and wife played by Jodie Comer and Aaron Taylor-Johnson, lives in uneasy isolation on a fortified island — until one of them crosses the causeway into whatever’s left of the mainland.—
Greg Braxton,
Los Angeles Times,
16 May 2025
Adjective
-
Ogden's #75 dons the back of one fan, Kris Prowse, who has opted – on this ceremonious day – to wear the jersey that started it all.—
Billie Melissa,
MSNBC Newsweek,
1 May 2025
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The vice president’s role in officiating the Electoral College count before Congress — the final step in the election process before a president takes the White House — was known for many cycles as one that was mostly uneventful and largely ceremonious.—
Alex Gangitano,
The Hill,
6 Jan. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Stilted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stilted. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
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