Main Entry: ¹si·lent

Pronunciation: \ˈsī-lənt\

Function: adjective

Etymology: Middle English sylent, from Latin silent-, silens, from present participle of silēre to be silent; akin to Gothic anasilan to cease, grow calm

Date: 15th century

1 a : making no utterance : mute, speechless b : indisposed to speak : not loquacious
2 : free from sound or noise : still
3 : performed or borne without utterance : unspoken <silent prayer> <silent grief>
4 a : making no mention <history is silent about this person> b : not widely or generally known or appreciated <the silent pressures on a person in public office> c : making no protest or outcry <the silent majority>
5 : unpronounced <the silent b in doubt>
6 : not exhibiting the usual signs or symptoms of presence <a silent infection>
7 a : made without spoken dialogue <silent movies> b : of or relating to silent movies

— si·lent·ly adverb

— si·lent·ness noun

synonyms silent, taciturn, reticent, reserved, secretive mean showing restraint in speaking. silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed <the strong, silent type>. taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usually connotes unsociability <taciturn villagers>. reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, especially about one's own affairs <was reticent about his plans>. reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal conversational exchange <greetings were brief, formal, and reserved>. secretive, too, implies reticence but usually carries a suggestion of deviousness and lack of frankness or of an often ostentatious will to conceal <the secretive research and development division>.