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 When Weber and Logan balked, the Justice Department promptly sued them and the state in a case currently pending in federal court. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026 Plus, it's previously balked at the marketing costs that come with bringing films to the cinema, which can total hundreds of millions of dollars per film. — Sarah Whitten, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026 Some boards of directors may have balked at sending their CEOs into Saudi Arabia in the midst of the deadly battle with the Houthis. — Matt Egan, CNN Money, 19 Oct. 2026 After a home run by Cedric Mullins trimmed the deficit to 4-3 in the bottom of the eighth, Cole Sulser yielded a leadoff single to slumping Angel Martínez in the ninth and balked him to second base. — ABC News, 13 Oct. 2026 Some investors balked at its lack of a track record, while others were unnerved by Volta’s reliance on Anthropic to buy much of the data center’s compute. — Ellen Dimauro, semafor.com, 13 Oct. 2026 The powers that be balked at the sequel’s 48 percent drop from the first installment’s $125 million worldwide gross, which outperformed any and all expectations back in 2017. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 7 Oct. 2026 After an anecdote having to do with cocaine use in another band around the time that guitarist Jimmy McColloch departed, Apatow asked if drugs were a big issue in Wings starting to fall apart in the late ’70s, but McCartney balked at that idea. — Chris Willman, Variety, 29 Sep. 2026 That’s the same amount that tipped workers will make next year in Denver, where city leaders have so far balked at adjusting wages. — Max Scheinblum, Denver Post, 25 Sep. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for balked

Verb

Now, however, a number of fans are frustrated with how the team has gone about honoring the terms.

— Eben Novy-Williams, Sportico.com, 20 Oct. 2026
In the comments section, one resident was frustrated but circumspect.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of frustrated

Verb

On a lesser show, Lee would have thrown Dale a meaningful look, baffled that the material world was aligning with the woo-woo.

— Amanda Whiting, Vulture, 22 Oct. 2026
Beyond being frustrated with the secrecy, locals said they were baffled by the lack of specifics and clarity the stakeholders had about the project, per the records.

— Sasha Rogelberg, Fortune, 4 Oct. 2026

Definition of baffled

Verb

Creating lightweight device Neuroscientists studying behavioral brain activity have long been hampered by tethered equipment that kept laboratory animals locked in place.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026
That uncertainty leaves the Chargers trying to get anything out of an offense hampered by the limitations of what's available to them right now in what increasingly looks like a lost season.

— ABC News, ABC News, 19 Oct. 2026

Definition of hampered

Verb

The loss thwarted Cleveland’s chance at a World Series championship, extending its drought to 78 years.

— Los Angeles Times, Los Angeles Times, 20 Oct. 2026
Long before launch, the team faced obstacles that nearly thwarted the endeavor — chiefly, two rejections from NASA — before finally securing the green light for the $1 billion project under the New Frontiers Program in 2011.

— Sharmila Kuthunur, Space.com, 20 Oct. 2026

Definition of thwarted

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balk (at)

balked

balked (at)

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“Balked.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/balked. Accessed 28 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of balked

verb

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