DUMBING Synonyms: 14 Similar and Opposite Words

dumbing

verb

present participle of dumb

as in shushing

to stop the noise or speech of the terrible news dumbed her for a long moment, and then she burst into tears

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Recent Examples of Synonyms for dumbing

Verb

Trae Young won Madison Square Garden’s undying enmity in the 2021 playoffs for the Atlanta Hawks, punctuating game-breaking shots by shushing the crowd or bowing to the fans and waving goodbye.

— Leah Asmelash, CNN Money, 9 June 2026
Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.

— Lauren Schuster, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 3 June 2026

Definition of shushing

Verb

Prosecutors caught the elder Spitze helping his son contact four minor victims to try silencing them with gifts or orders to destroy evidence.

— Hudson Crozier, The Washington Examiner, 20 Aug. 2026
Response to ‘silencing’ claims As part of the suit, the city filed a motion for a temporary restraining order and temporary injunction.

— Kendrick Calfee, Kansas City Star, 15 Aug. 2026

Definition of silencing

Verb

Among several solutions such as time limits and muting notifications during certain hours, the changes include giving teens the option to choose to view a non-algorithmic social media feed that isn’t personalized.

— Sonja Sharp, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026
During the third act, in a cunning effect, when anyone picks up a phone, the screen’s contents are displayed on a wall as the lights fade, muting the friends onstage.

— Emily Nussbaum, New Yorker, 9 July 2026

Definition of muting

Verb

If you’re used to traditional decluttering strategies that focus on sorting and purging, house hushing might feel strange.

— Mary Cornetta, Better Homes & Gardens, 10 July 2026
There are a lot of ways to declutter out there—the pile method and the discernment method are two of them, and now, everyone’s hushing their house.

— Quincy Bulin, Southern Living, 28 Dec. 2025

Definition of hushing

Verb

Seattle comforts you with its natural beauty, quieting your mind and heightening your senses.

— Giovanna Caravetta, Travel + Leisure, 25 Aug. 2026
Five minutes later, Messi gave Miami the lead, curling his shot in tight space past three defenders, quieting the sellout crowd at Subaru Park.

— Michelle Kaufman, Miami Herald, 20 Aug. 2026

Definition of quieting

Verb

Brighton could progress the ball into Chelsea’s third and then settle into possession, becoming comfortable enough to maintain it, with the Chelsea players settling into a block.

— Jon Mackenzie, New York Times, 1 Sep. 2026
Average daily volume across US prediction markets reached nearly $2 billion in July, settling everything from Fed decisions to World Cup outcomes to Congressional votes.

— Semafor Events, semafor.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of settling

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Browse Nearby Words

dumbheads

dumbing

dumbing down

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“Dumbing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/dumbing. Accessed 2 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of dumbing

verb

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