smothering
Cutting off air
Smothering is covering so completely as to suffocate or extinguish: She was smothering under the heavy blankets, smothering the flames with a wet towel.
The word extends to overwhelming attention or affection that feels oppressive: His smothering love drove her away.
In cooking, smothering means covering food completely while it cooks: smothered pork chops, chicken smothered in gravy.
Kill by blocking air
- chokeObstruct breathing or airflow
- strangleConstrict the throat
- suffocateKill by blocking air
- throttlePower flow controller
stifle · gasp · airless · breathless · suffocation · pillow · asphyxiation · constrict
Oppressively hot and close
- claustrophobicFearing confined spaces
- confiningLimiting freedom of movement
- restrictiveImposing narrow boundaries
- crushingOverwhelming in intensity
overwhelming · burdensome · oppressive · heavy · suppressive · repressive · airless · constrictive
Extremely hot, uncomfortably so
- stiflingOppressively hot and close
- humidContaining much moisture
- muggyUnpleasantly warm and humid
- sultryHot, humid, or alluring
stuffy · airless · close · thick · tropical · steamy · cloying · unventilated
Suspended without support
- coddlingOverindulgent, protective treatment
- enmeshmentBoundary-blurring relational pattern
- intrusiveInvading others' privacy
- meddlingIntrusive interference in others' concerns
babying · cosseting · overbearing · clinging · possessive · domineering · infantilizing · micromanaging
Intensely excessive in force
- effusiveUnrestrainedly emotional in expression
- excessiveSurpassing reasonable bounds
- cloyingExcessively sweet or sentimental
- intenseExtreme in degree
all-consuming · obsessive · possessive · doting · adoring · lavishing · enveloping · engulfing
asphyxiate
Kill by blocking air
throttle · stifle · gasp · airless · breathless · suffocation · pillow · asphyxiation · constrict · compress
stifling
Oppressively hot and close
- claustrophobicFearing confined spaces
- confiningLimiting freedom of movement
- restrictiveImposing narrow boundaries
crushing · overwhelming · burdensome · oppressive · heavy · suppressive · repressive · airless · constrictive · inescapable
sweltering
Extremely hot, uncomfortably so
sultry · stuffy · airless · close · thick · tropical · steamy · cloying · unventilated · breathless
hovering
Suspended without support
- coddlingOverindulgent, protective treatment
- enmeshmentBoundary-blurring relational pattern
- intrusiveInvading others' privacy
meddling · babying · cosseting · overbearing · clinging · possessive · domineering · infantilizing · micromanaging · controlling
overwhelming
Intensely excessive in force
- effusiveUnrestrainedly emotional in expression
- excessiveSurpassing reasonable bounds
- cloyingExcessively sweet or sentimental
intense · all-consuming · obsessive · possessive · doting · adoring · lavishing · enveloping · engulfing · overpowering
covered
Having protection atop
- braisedBrowned and simmered slowly
- slow-cookedPrepared with prolonged heat
- onionsPungent layered cooking bulbs
- burdensburden, load, onus, obligations, weight
- parentinggentle parenting, child, mom, children, kids
- overdoingoverdoing, overindulging, overkill, excess, overreacting
- drowning outmuffling, masking, silencing, muting, overpowering
- oppressivestifling, suffocating, crushing, repressive, tyrannical
- overwhelmingoverwhelming, overpowering, crushing, engulfing, suffocating
smotheringbreathing
Pulmonary gas exchange
ventilating · aerating · oxygenating · respiring · resuscitating
smotheringliberating
Setting free from constraint
freeing · giving space · hands-off · encouraging · empowering