tongue-tied

Meaning

Adj

1. Having tongue-tie or ankyloglossia (“a congenital oral anomaly in which the lingual frenulum (a membrane connecting the underside of the tongue to the floor of the mouth) is unusually short and thick, decreasing mobility of the tongue and affecting eating, speech, etc.”).
2. (figuratively) Prevented from or unable to express oneself clearly or fluently, or freely; at a loss for words, speechless.
3. (figuratively) Reluctant to speak up; reserved, reticent.
4. (figuratively, poetic) Physically unable to speak; dumb, mute.

Verb

simple past and past participle of tongue-tie

tongue-tie

• Noun
• Verb

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Synonyms

inarticulate

speaking thickly

dumb

incoherent

wordless

lisping

mum

mute

🔇

nonverbal

shy

silent

🔇

speechless

stammering

stuttering

tacit

tightlipped

uncommunicative

understood

dumfounded

lisp

Translations

sprakeloos

sprachlos

stumm

🔇

σιωπηλός

γλωσσοδεμένος

incohérent

muet

sans voix

calado

🔇

sem saber o que falar

embarbussat

com a língua presa

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈtʌŋtaɪd/

Etymology

From tongue + tied (“restricted”, adjective).