browbeaten 1 of 2

adjective

as in cowed

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browbeaten

2 of 2

verb

variants or browbeat
past participle of browbeat
as in intimidated
to make timid or fearful by or as if by threats they would often browbeat the younger child until he cried

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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 browbeaten
Adjective
Audiences who endured the Miramax era have been browbeaten to believe that the best picture Oscar should go to a period piece that chokes out a sob from audiences. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 22 Jan. 2026 Not to the extent that the user is necessarily being browbeaten. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 1 Sep. 2025
Verb
Pheu Thai, conservatives believed, could always be co-opted or browbeaten into a politics of benefit sharing in which wealth and power were divided between a Pheu Thai figurehead and conservative power brokers. — Duncan McCargo, Foreign Affairs, 24 Aug. 2026 Dodgers management didn’t browbeat Treinen and Call, and that’s fine — ballplayers should be entitled to share their personal thoughts, however noxious. — Gustavo Arellano, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 No need to legally browbeat AI makers or require AI developers to implement specialized AI safety features. — Lance Eliot, Forbes.com, 23 July 2026 England looked cowed and browbeaten by the second half of the semifinal, which allowed Lionel Messi to do what only Lionel Messi can do. — Ben Church, CNN Money, 16 July 2026 But that bar was browbeaten by critics into pausing and then canceling the project. — Peter D'abrosca, FOXNews.com, 7 Apr. 2026 Davies more or less browbeat her into terminating the pregnancy, and dropped out of college. — Christopher Tayler, Harpers Magazine, 27 Jan. 2026 The administration’s apparent plan to resolve this difficulty is to shame or browbeat members of the artistic community into performing there. — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 30 Dec. 2025 Not to mention the relentless White House campaign to browbeat Fed Chair Jerome Powell to lower rates while auditioning dovish successors. — Michael Santoli, CNBC, 16 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for browbeaten
  1. intimidated
  2. bullied
  3. oppressed
  4. frightened
  5. downtrodden
  6. scared
  7. crushed
  8. threatened
Adjective
  • The biggest hurdle, though, is simply believing the Elle Woods who learns to prove her doubters wrong at 16 would be so intimidated when faced with doing it again at 22.
    — Ben Travers, IndieWire, 29 June 2026
  • In traditional settings, people often feel rushed, intimidated, and unseen.
    — Lisa Deaderick, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 2026
Definition of intimidated
Verb
  • View this post on Instagram Priscilla Villanueva said her son, Dakota Cabrera, has been bullied for wearing his hair in a braid, but seeing Pete do the same gives him hope.
    — Marissa Armas, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2026
  • Trump has all but severed America’s system of alliances, mocked and bullied Ukraine’s president, and showered praise upon Kim Jong Un.
    — Jonathan Chait, The Atlantic, 20 Aug. 2026
Definition of bullied
Adjective
  • All of us artists could stand to be more like Mark, willing to speak out for oppressed people everywhere, even when powerful people try to bully us into silence.
    — Abid Rahman, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026
  • Ella is a young woman cursed to obey all instructions whose quest for self-determination also turns her into an advocate for the kingdom’s oppressed elves and ogres.
    — Chris Bellamy, Entertainment Weekly, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of oppressed
Verb
  • The rising cost of health care has frightened many people, including those with health insurance.
    — Cara Kelly, USA Today, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The aggressive approach deeply disrupted and frightened the participants.
    — Kimmie Gordon, Chicago Tribune, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of frightened
Adjective
  • In the end, a downtrodden Sporting side came close to picking up an upset win but settled for a 1-1 draw.
    — PJ Green, Kansas City Star, 20 Aug. 2026
  • Just as iconic is the song’s inclusion in the classic 2003 comedy Old School, starring Will Ferrell, Luke Wilson, and Vince Vaughn as three downtrodden thirtysomethings who start their own fraternity.
    — Britt Hayes, Entertainment Weekly, 9 July 2026
Definition of downtrodden
Verb
  • The size of this verdict scared Meta into recently settling a similar case brought by 47 other states for a total that could reach $18 billion.
    — Schuyler Moore, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • This would have been less than a mile from the nesting pine and might have scared the eagles away.
    — Alex Ross, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2026
Definition of scared
Adjective
  • If the fluids were removed without replacement, the immense geological weight of the overlying earth would cause the salt domes to collapse inward like a crushed shield.
    — Siddharth Misra, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026
  • The other roughly 95% is a crushed powder that is called tailings.
    — Erin Hassanzadeh, CBS News, 21 Aug. 2026
Definition of crushed
Verb
  • In addition to enforcing a blockade of Iranian ports, this week, the administration threatened to severely sanction any country that does business with Iran.
    — Justin Fishel, ABC News, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Berlin’s artistic director, Tricia Tuttle, had to issue a formal statement regarding the media storm that threatened to engulf the festival.
    — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of threatened

Browse Nearby Words

browbeat
browbeaten
browbeating
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Cite this Entry

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

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