MOTHBALLED Synonyms: 47 Similar and Opposite Words

mothballed

verb

past tense of mothball

as in dismantled

to stop using (something) while keeping it to be possibly used in the future Many navy ships were mothballed after the war.

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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 mothballed On the downside, Dow’s Saudi Arabia joint venture plant is still mothballed, and Dow is shuttering economically disadvantaged facilities in the United Kingdom and Germany. — Jordan Blum, Fortune, 30 July 2026 This match is the latest notable step forward for a women’s setup that was in effect mothballed just a decade ago due to a lack of funds. — Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 21 July 2026 But with the series mothballed for more than a year prior to being officially axed, Meloni has not been resting on his laurels. — Melanie Goodfellow, Deadline, 8 June 2026 Many fire engines are mothballed in city boneyards, and the department has lost nearly 50 more firefighters since the Palisades fire. — Teresa Liu, Daily News, 4 May 2026 Rio Tinto’s $3 billion Jadar lithium project in Serbia was mothballed after permitting setbacks, raising questions about whether the EU badge is enough to override local politics and market cycles. — Tiisetso Motsoeneng, semafor.com, 30 Mar. 2026 In her closet were seven Ungaros, three Rykiels, a Kamali bathing suit and a Kamali sleeping-bag coat, five Kenzo dresses, two pieces from the Ballets Russes collection of Saint Laurent—all of which were trades or payments in kind, none of them mothballed, but instead worn ostentatiously and often. — Han Ong, New Yorker, 15 Mar. 2026 The two Karuizawa casks (#6195 and #888) in question were distilled in 1999, a year before the distillery was mothballed, and each is expected to yield about 420 bottles. — Jonah Flicker, Robb Report, 11 Mar. 2026 Some 1,000 construction workers were laid off as the Gateway Development Commission mothballed the project. — Evan Simko-Bednarski, New York Daily News, 24 Feb. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for mothballed

dismantled

Verb

Roof shingles then need to be removed; brick fireplaces and chimneys have to be dismantled, their pieces carefully numbered for reconstruction later; and the entire structure must be sliced into road-ready sections like a loaf of bread.

— Nicola Twilley, New Yorker, 27 Aug. 2026
To King, this perception is a reality that cannot be dismantled.

— Tommy Orange, Vulture, 26 Aug. 2026

Definition of dismantled

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mothball

mothballed

mothballing

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

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Synonyms of mothballed

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