mute

¹mute

adj \ˈmyüt\

mut·ermut·est

Definition of MUTE

1

: unable to speak : lacking the power of speech

2

: characterized by absence of speech: as a : felt or experienced but not expressed <touched her hand in mute sympathy> b : refusing to plead directly or stand trial <the prisoner stands mute>

3

: remaining silent, undiscovered, or unrecognized

4

a : contributing nothing to the pronunciation of a word <the b in plumb is mute> b : contributing to the pronunciation of a word but not representing the nucleus of a syllable <the e in mate is mute>

— mute·ly adverb

— mute·ness noun

Examples of MUTE

1. They hugged each other in mute sympathy.
2. I could see a mute plea for help in his eyes.

Origin of MUTE

Middle English muet, mut, from Anglo-French, from mu, mute, from Latin mutus, probably from mu, representation of a muttered sound

First Known Use: 1513

Related to MUTE

Synonyms: inarticulate, speechless, voiceless

Antonyms: communicative, speaking, talking

Related Words: tongue-tied; incoherent, incomprehensible; closemouthed, laconic, reserved, reticent, taciturn, tight-lipped, uncommunicative; mum, nonspeaking, quiet, silent, wordless

Near Antonyms: blabby, chatty, communicative, expansive, gabby, garrulous, loquacious, talkative, talky, vocal; expatiating, speaking out, speaking up; articulating, speaking, talking; articulate, eloquent, fluent, voluble

see all synonyms and antonyms

[+]more[-]hide

Rhymes with MUTE

boot, bruit, brut, brute, bute, Bute, butte, chute, cloot, coot, cute, flute, fruit, glout, glute, hoot, jute, Jute, loot, lute, moot, newt, pood, root, Root, rout, route, scoot, scute, shoot, snoot, soot, suit, suite, toot, tout, ut, Ute