deterred

[ dih-turd ]

adjective

1. discouraged or restrained from acting or proceeding:

   A visible thief is a deterred thief, so installing motion-sensing lights on your property helps to protect it.

2. kept from happening; prevented or checked:

   Assuming that those 79,000 deterred property crimes have an average cost of $1,900 each, that’s a savings of over $150 million.

verb

1. the simple past tense and past participle of deter ( def ).

Other Words From

• un·de·terred adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of deterred¹

deter ( def ) + -ed ²( def )

Example Sentences

The agreement deterred the woman from moving forward with a lawsuit, the lawyer added.

From BBC

Nor is Trump likely to be deterred by Congress.

From Salon

Two polling sites in Georgia had to be temporarily evacuated, and it remains unclear whether this deterred any voters.

From Los Angeles Times

That hasn’t deterred AI promoters from unwarranted boasting about their products.

From Los Angeles Times

The hope is that the potential attacker will be deterred by the idea they are speaking on the phone to someone who would raise the alarm.

From BBC

Related Words

• barred
• blocked
• closed
• confined
• controlled
• defined
• deprived
• prescribed
• reduced
• restrained
• secured
• shortened
• tethered