BALKED Synonyms: 60 Similar and Opposite Words

balked

verb

past tense of balk

as in frustrated

to prevent from achieving a goal a young man with big dreams who refused to be balked by the many challenges he faced in making them a reality

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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 balked But the prime minister balked at turning weapons on a family—and a veteran, no less. — Encyclopedia Britannica, 27 Aug. 2026 Diamondbacks pitcher Eduardo Rodríguez blatantly balked in front of a crowd of 24,297, and the only four people who could fix it didn’t see it until watching a video afterward. — Paul Sullivan, Chicago Tribune, 27 Aug. 2026 Many balked at the price tag, especially in light of the county’s ongoing budgetary woes. — Luis Melecio-Zambrano, Mercury News, 26 Aug. 2026 As eastern Connecticut in the past couple of years has become an economic development hotspot, many very small towns have balked at worsening traffic and noise along with the loss of the rural lifestyle. — Don Stacom, Hartford Courant, 23 Aug. 2026 However, the fact that the European ministers who provide funding for Ariane 6 balked at these upgrades may indicate growing impatience with the rocket’s cost. — Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 20 Aug. 2026 Russian President Vladimir Putin has balked at negotiating a peace deal directly with Zelensky. — Hanna Arhirova, Los Angeles Times, 19 Aug. 2026 Democratic activists balked, Hilton stepped down and investments dried up. — Ben Paviour, Sacbee.com, 10 Aug. 2026 And, while other states had balked at the fifty-million-dollar price tag that Hubbard deemed necessary for the clinical trials, Texas had ended the year with a twenty-four-billion-dollar budget surplus from oil and gas revenues. — Michelle Lhooq, New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked

Verb

She was specifically frustrated with Sol claiming Bryce pulled Kayda for a chat four or five times in the villa, despite being coupled up with Trinity.

— Carly Thomas, HollywoodReporter, 1 Sep. 2026
As a sports bettor, there are a lot of people frustrated by these two teams and pitchers from this season as the Giants take on the Pirates.

— David Troy OutKick, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2026

Definition of frustrated

Verb

She is baffled by the way her friends Moe and Fumina rail against their parents, especially when Yuko is always holding back at home, forever walking on eggshells.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 6 Aug. 2026
Al Roker was baffled to come face to face with his doppelgänger on the Today show plaza.

— Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 6 Aug. 2026

Definition of baffled

Verb

Efforts to prevent famine have been hampered by the January decision of the United States, once Somalia's largest donor, to freeze nearly all of the country's humanitarian aid.

— Durrie Bouscaren, NPR, 31 Aug. 2026
The Panthers’ third-round pick from two years ago had fought through two difficult seasons hampered by injury.

— Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 31 Aug. 2026

Definition of hampered

Verb

That was before Shohei Ohtani’s two-way ambitions were thwarted, the lineup turned frigid and the legitimacy of Mark Walter’s entire business empire came into question.

— Andy McCullough, New York Times, 3 Sep. 2026
In the footage, players follow the story of Jason and Lucia, a couple living in the fictional Vice City, who are picking up drugs, and their mission is thwarted by the police, who begin to raid the place.

— Moises Mendez II, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Definition of thwarted

Browse Nearby Words

balk (at)

balked

balked (at)

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“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 4 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of balked

verb

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