BELT-TIGHTENING Synonyms: 37 Similar and Opposite Words

belt-tightening

noun

Definition of belt-tightening

as in austerity

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of belt-tightening Opponents argue the policy is shrinking the city’s restaurant workforce by forcing belt-tightening and putting establishments out of business. — Jake Sheridan, Chicago Tribune, 15 Apr. 2026 The budget gap needed unexpected belt-tightening and spending only on the essentials. — Andy Sheehan, CBS News, 15 Apr. 2026 The package extended the belt-tightening path South Africa has been on since 2018, when President Cyril Ramaphosa took over a fiscally strained by ballooning budget shortfalls, rising budget shortfalls and a cascade of credit rating cuts. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 9 Mar. 2026 Some industries are correcting after the hiring boom of the pandemic, but this comes as AI adoption, softening consumer and corporate spending, and rising costs drive belt-tightening and hiring freezes. — Hugh Cameron, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Nov. 2025 See All Example Sentences for belt-tightening

Recent Examples of Synonyms for belt-tightening

Noun

According to Strategas, once US debt-servicing costs, as a percentage of tax revenues, rise above 14%, there tends to be fiscal strain and austerity.

— Bill Stone, Forbes.com, 22 Aug. 2026
As poor residents poured into the streets in the wake of government austerity measures, the state responded with lethal force.

— Tibisay Zea, Christian Science Monitor, 21 Aug. 2026

Definition of austerity

Noun

Summary Quality sleep is crucial for leaders' performance, yet unpredictable schedules often lead to sleep deprivation, thus impairing vital cognitive functions like memory.

— Julian Hayes II, Forbes.com, 29 Aug. 2026
The rare mental illness is linked to stress, sleep deprivation and hormonal changes following childbirth.

— Michael Casey, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026

Definition of deprivation

Noun

Bali Double-Support Wireless Bra The bra’s signature M-frame creates a sturdy structure that supports your chest sans underwire — thereby avoiding any digging, pinching, or poking throughout the day.

— Clara McMahon, PEOPLE, 22 Aug. 2026
Why Perennials Need Pruning Flowers-Kimmerle explains that deadheading, pinching, and cutting back are all forms of perennial pruning.

— Mary Marlowe Leverette, The Spruce, 19 Aug. 2026

Definition of pinching

Noun

These adjustments add to the fact that while blockades can impose privation, modern governments and their nationalist populations can accept a lot of suffering before considering major political concessions.

— Eugene Gholz, Foreign Affairs, 4 Aug. 2026
Yamal has spoken about being recognised on the street at 13, the privations of fame accrued before puberty.

— Jack Lang, New York Times, 18 July 2026

Definition of privation

Noun

Jordan, to whom scorn comes more naturally than grace, accuses him of envying the rest of the troupe’s ennobling misery.

— Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 31 Aug. 2026
Some residents said hope is elusive given the island’s litany of miseries – from natural disasters to a bankrupt government to a financial control board that manages funding for infrastructure.

— Isabel Rosales, CNN Money, 28 Aug. 2026

Definition of misery

Noun

Potential finalists will be notified via email and will be required to complete and return an Affidavit of Eligibility, License of Work and Release of Liability/Publicity within three (3) days of date of notification, or a shorter time if required by exigencies, or a runner-up may be selected.

— Kelli Bender, PEOPLE, 25 June 2026
The exigencies of the Revolution lead to promising more people representation.

— KEN BURNS, Rolling Stone, 19 May 2026

Definition of exigency

Noun

Some soldiers distinguished themselves by helping to render emergency trauma response and first aid to civilians, earning individual service commendations, according to the Arkansas National Guard.

— Neal Earley, Arkansas Online, 29 Aug. 2026
His newsrooms, including the Kathmandu Post, have deployed all their assets to cover the tragedy, and to provide Nepalis with clear, accurate information on emergency relief, river monitoring, and other immediate needs.

— Ishaan Tharoor, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026

Definition of emergency

Browse Nearby Words

belts up

belt-tightening

belt-tightenings

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“Belt-tightening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/belt-tightening. Accessed 3 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of belt-tightening

noun

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