Synonyms for inhibit
ɪnˈhɪb ɪtin·hib·it

English Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. inhibit

   To prohibit is to give some formal command against, and especially to make some authoritative legal enactment against. Debar is said of persons, disallow of acts; one is debarred from anything when shut off, as by some irresistible authority or necessity; one is prohibited from an act in express terms; he may be debarred by silent necessity. An act is disallowed by the authority that might have allowed it; the word is especially applied to acts which are done before they are pronounced upon; thus, a government may disallow the act of its commander in the field or its admiral on the high seas. Inhibit and interdict are chiefly known by their ecclesiastical use. As between forbid and prohibit, forbid is less formal and more personal, prohibit more official and judicial, with the implication of readiness to use such force as may be needed to give effect to the enactment; a parent forbids a child to take part in some game or to associate with certain companions; the slave-trade is now prohibited by the leading nations of the world. Many things are prohibited by law which can not be wholly prevented, as gambling and prostitution; on the other hand, things may be prevented which are not prohibited, as the services of religion, the payment of debts, or military conquest. That which is precluded need not be prohibited. Compare ABOLISH; HINDER; PREVENT.

   Synonyms:
   debar, disallow, forbid, hinder, interdict, preclude, prevent, prohibit

   Antonyms:
   allow, authorize, command, consent to, direct, empower, enjoin, give consent, give leave, give permission, let, license, order, permit, put up with, require, sanction, suffer, tolerate, warrant

   Preposition:
   An act is prohibited by law; a person is prohibited by law from doing a certain act. Prohibit was formerly construed, as forbid still is, with the infinitive, but the construction with from and the verbal noun has now entirely superseded the older usage.

Complete Dictionary of Synonyms and AntonymsRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. inhibit

   Synonyms:
   prevent, hinder, prohibit, restrain, debar

   Antonyms:
   urge, incite, permit, encourage, impel

Princeton's WordNetRate these synonyms:0.0 / 0 votes

1. suppress, stamp down, inhibit, subdue, conquer, curbverb

   to put down by force or authority

   "suppress a nascent uprising"; "stamp down on littering"; "conquer one's desires"

   Synonyms:
   chasten, capture, get over, master, crush, conquer, moderate, quash, keep down, surmount, restrict, suppress, bottle up, crucify, subjugate, reduce, control, curb, stamp down, hold, seize, subordinate, tame, mortify, hold in, curtail, appropriate, contain, oppress, cut back, overcome, subdue, repress, check

2. inhibitverb

   limit the range or extent of

   "Contact between the young was inhibited by strict social customs"

   Synonyms:
   bottle up, curb, conquer, stamp down, suppress, subdue

3. inhibitverb

   limit, block, or decrease the action or function of

   "inhibit the action of the enzyme"; "inhibit the rate of a chemical reaction"

   Synonyms:
   bottle up, curb, conquer, stamp down, suppress, subdue

4. inhibit, bottle up, suppressverb

   control and refrain from showing; of emotions, desires, impulses, or behavior

   Synonyms:
   curb, oppress, subdue, bottle up, crush, conquer, repress, stamp down, suppress

Matched Categories

1. • Biology
   • Chemistry

Dictionary of English SynonymesRate these synonyms:5.0 / 1 vote

1. inhibitverb

   Synonyms:
   restrain, hinder, check, repress, obstruct, bar, debar, stop

2. inhibitverb

   Synonyms:
   prohibit, forbid, interdict

PPDB, the paraphrase databaseRate these paraphrases:0.0 / 0 votes

1. List of paraphrases for "inhibit":

   impede, hinder, hamper, prevent, obstruct

How to pronounce inhibit?

How to say inhibit in sign language?

Words popularity by usage frequency

How to use inhibit in a sentence?

1. Suzanne Dixon:

   All varieties are rich in phytosterols, which have been shown in lab and animal studies to inhibit tumor development.

2. William Jacobson:

   They [police] may subjectively feel that the spotlight on them does inhibit their ability to act, but that subjective feeling cannot trump the First Amendment.

3. Bill Flores:

   The House will make the deadline. Of course, the Senate probably won't, and the President wouldn't sign it, but at least the American people will know where the House of Representatives stands on pushing back on the attempts of the D.C. city council to inhibit religious liberty.

4. Andreas Essig:

   Horse dung is a very rich substrate that harbours a diversity of micro-organisms, including fungi and bacteria, now these micro-organisms are in a constant competition for nutrients and space and it's therefore very likely to find potent antibiotics in such an environment, which are used by the different organisms to inhibit the growth of the competitors.

5. Michael McCaul:

   In order to have greater visibility of the larger cyber threat landscape, we must remove the government bureaucratic stovepipes that inhibit our abilities to effectively defend America while ensuring citizens' privacy and civil liberties are also protected