tongue-tied.

Unable to speak fluently or find words because of nervousness, embarrassment, or strong emotion.

Use it for

Words that belong together

• become tongue-tied
• tongue-tied with embarrassment

On the page

Normally quick with an answer, he became tongue-tied when she thanked him.

Usage notes

Primary category: literary / elevated general. Forms: Comparative more tongue-tied; superlative most tongue-tied when comparison is meaningful. Legacy lexical fields mirror sense 1 only. Use numbered sense fields for all meanings. Established modern English lexical item. No separate regional spelling or grammatical inflection entry. Writing functions: description, character. Commonness: moderately common.