diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-activity-monitor.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-activity-monitor.ts
index 748de9b664610..d67105ed46a88 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-activity-monitor.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/cloudformation/stack-activity-monitor.ts
@@ -665,6 +665,7 @@ export class CurrentActivityPrinter extends ActivityPrinterBase {
 
     // Display in the same block space, otherwise we're going to have silly empty lines.
     this.block.displayLines(lines);
+    this.block.removeEmptyLines(lines);
   }
 
   private progressBar(width: number) {
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/display.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/display.ts
index d7b136a36f178..a7071ed6a12a4 100644
--- a/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/display.ts
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/lib/api/util/display.ts
@@ -16,8 +16,13 @@ export class RewritableBlock {
     return this.stream.columns;
   }
 
+  public get height() {
+    // Might get changed if the user resizes the terminal
+    return this.stream.rows;
+  }
+
   public displayLines(lines: string[]) {
-    lines = terminalWrap(this.width, expandNewlines(lines));
+    lines = terminalWrap(this.width, expandNewlines(lines)).slice(0, getMaxBlockHeight(this.height, this.lastHeight, lines));
 
     this.stream.write(cursorUp(this.lastHeight));
     for (const line of lines) {
@@ -31,6 +36,10 @@ export class RewritableBlock {
     // The block can only ever get bigger
     this.lastHeight = Math.max(this.lastHeight, lines.length);
   }
+
+  public removeEmptyLines(lines: string[]) {
+    this.stream.write(cursorUp(this.lastHeight - lines.length));
+  }
 }
 
 const ESC = '\u001b';
@@ -73,4 +82,9 @@ function expandNewlines(lines: string[]): string[] {
     ret.push(...line.split('\n'));
   }
   return ret;
+}
+
+function getMaxBlockHeight(windowHeight: number | undefined, lastHeight: number, lines: string[]): number {
+  if (windowHeight === undefined) { return Math.max(lines.length, lastHeight); }
+  return lines.length < windowHeight ? lines.length : windowHeight - 1;
 }
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/util/display.test.ts b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/util/display.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..26b54b736b104
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/aws-cdk/test/api/util/display.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,39 @@
+import { RewritableBlock } from '../../../lib/api/util/display';
+import { stderr } from '../console-listener';
+
+
+describe('Rewritable Block Tests', () => {
+  let block: RewritableBlock;
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    block = new RewritableBlock(process.stderr);
+    process.stderr.rows = 80;
+  });
+
+  test('displayLines writes maximum lines based on rows if there are more lines than rows', () => {
+    const lines = Array.from(Array(100).keys()).map(line => line.toString());
+    const output = stderr.inspectSync(() => {
+      block.displayLines(lines);
+    });
+
+    expect(output.length).toEqual(block.height!);
+  });
+
+  test('displayLines writes maximum lines based on lines length if there are less lines than rows', () => {
+    const lines = Array.from(Array(45).keys()).map(line => line.toString());
+    const output = stderr.inspectSync(() => {
+      block.displayLines(lines);
+    });
+
+    expect(output.length).toEqual(46);
+  });
+
+  test('displayLines writes maximum lines based on lines length if rows is undefined', () => {
+    const lines = Array.from(Array(5).keys()).map(line => line.toString());
+    process.stderr.rows = undefined;
+    const output = stderr.inspectSync(() => {
+      block.displayLines(lines);
+    });
+
+    expect(output.length).toEqual(6);
+  });
+});
\ No newline at end of file