What does "balking" mean?
A frustration or disappointment; a check.
Balking
adj, noun, verb
adj, noun, verb ·2 syllables ·Moderate ·College level
Meaning at a glance
- Primary sense: A frustration or disappointment; a check.
- Grammar: balking is listed as adj, noun, verb.
- Nearest alternatives: apathetic, backward, bafflement, balk.
- Useful contrasts: accelerating, accept, advance.
- Usage evidence: This supernatural world is the world of fulfilled desire, the world where the balkings, the trials and tribulations, the sorrows and the sins are no more, and where life is as the personality would have it […]
How to use "balking"
- Start with the primary definition, then check the part of speech before placing the word in a sentence.
- Compare nearby synonyms to make sure "balking" carries the exact meaning, tone, and strength you need.
- Use the example sentence as a context check. If your sentence uses the word differently, confirm that the grammar still fits.
Meaning check
- Does the word fit the sentence's grammar?
- Does it match the intended tone rather than only the dictionary definition?
- Would a simpler synonym be clearer for the reader?
- Is there enough surrounding context to prevent ambiguity?
Source and review context
This entry combines structured lexical data with WordToolSet review checks. Definitions, examples, synonyms, and usage notes may come from different source tables, so the page is designed to show evidence from more than one angle before you rely on "balking" in a final draft.
If a word has several senses, prefer the sense that matches your sentence's grammar and surrounding context. A correct definition can still be the wrong choice when the sentence needs a different register, emphasis, or level of specificity.
Before you rely on this definition
Read the first definition as a starting point, then check the example, synonyms, and part of speech before treating "balking" as the right word for your sentence.
If your draft is formal, technical, persuasive, or sensitive, compare "balking" with a nearby alternative so the final choice matches both meaning and reader expectation.
Compare nearby meanings
- Use synonyms when you need a softer, stronger, simpler, or more specific word.
- Use antonyms to check the boundary of the meaning and avoid accidental contrast.
- Use the example sentence to confirm the word behaves naturally in context.
- Keep the original wording when a replacement adds complexity without improving precision.
Definition decision workflow
1. Identify the role
Check whether "balking" is acting as adj, noun, verb in your sentence. A definition is only useful when the grammar matches the way the word is being used.
2. Test the nearest option
Compare it with "apathetic" and other nearby choices to see whether the sentence needs a softer, stronger, or more familiar word.
3. Confirm with context
Use the example sentence below as an evidence check, then read your own sentence out loud to catch tone or rhythm problems.
Review note: Definition pages are checked for source coverage, sentence evidence, synonym support, and editorial insight before they are treated as approval-ready pages. If the evidence is too thin, the page remains available to users but is kept out of the approval-facing indexed inventory.
Final meaning check
Before publishing a sentence with "balking", ask whether the word helps the reader understand the idea faster. A precise word should reduce confusion, not simply make the sentence look more polished.
When the definition, synonym evidence, and example context point in the same direction, the word is usually a safer choice. When they conflict, revise the sentence or choose a clearer alternative.
Definitions
Noun
- 1 A frustration or disappointment; a check.
"This supernatural world is the world of fulfilled desire, the world where the balkings, the trials and tribulations, the sorrows and the sins are no more, and where life is as the personality would have it […]"
Verb
- 1 present participle and gerund of balk form-of, gerund, participle, present
Adjective
- 1 That balks.; Tending to thwart or impede; frustrating.
"For these, the ground chosen was especially hard and slippery, and in bad condition; and to add to this, the wind, which blew the lath about, was very balking to the competitors."
- 2 That balks.; Causing one to pause or stop; disheartening.
"If there have not been the means to learn, if one knows nothing on a subject, to pretend or try to sympathize is more balking than to give it up."
- 3 That balks.; That refuses to cooperate or fails to behave in the desired and expected manner.
"Nowhere else is the mean or unreliable horse so utterly unendurable, even for a day, as about a circus. The balking brute may throw a parade into confusion or cause the most exasperating delay in loading a train."
- 4 That balks.; That makes motions which attempt to deceive the opponent.
"These large discrepancies must stem from inconsistencies in interpretation rather than the possibility that one crew was constantly drawing more balking pitchers than another."
Adjective
- 1 refusing to proceed, act or work wordnet
Antonyms
Example
"This supernatural world is the world of fulfilled desire, the world where the balkings, the trials and tribulations, the sorrows and the sins are no more, and where life is as the personality would have it […]"
Common questions
What is a synonym for "balking"?
Common synonyms include: apathetic, backward, bafflement, balk, balky, bigoted.
How do you use "balking" in a sentence?
This supernatural world is the world of fulfilled desire, the world where the balkings, the trials and tribulations, the sorrows and the sins are no more, and where life is as the personality would have it […]
Etymology
By surface analysis, balk + -ing.