1
a
: making no utterance : not speaking or making noise
He was silent for a full minute, as he often is when answering a hard question.—
Nick Seitz
Nick SeitzThey all fell silent, looking rather scared.—J. K. Rowling
J. K. Rowling
b
: tending to speak very little : not loquacious
As a former silent person, part of me gravitates to talkers.—Georgia Brown
Georgia BrownWhen ABC's promos boast the crime unit portrayed here is not "your father's FBI," it's insinuating that dad's FBI agents were balding, nerdy guys or the stereotypical strong, silent types.—Ken Parish Perkins
Ken Parish Perkins2
: free from sound or noise : still
The house was eerily silent.
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
medical
a(1)
: not exhibiting or producing the usual signs or symptoms of presence
silent urinary tract infections
A "silent stroke" has none of the warning signs of a larger stroke: severe headaches, dizziness, loss of motor skills. Often victims do not realize they have had strokes.—Alisha Berger
Alisha Berger
(2)
: relating to or being an infectious disease or pathogen that spreads undetected within a population
Chlamydia can cause fertility problems for women, but is generally asymptomatic, meaning the infection presents no immediate symptoms, said Dr. James Gaskell, health commissioner for the Athens City-County Health Department. As a result, it spreads quickly in dense populations like college campuses, he said. "It's a silent spreader, if you will," Gaskell said.—Sam Howard
Sam Howard
b
: being, involving, or caused by an asymptomatic or presymptomatic infectious individual
silent spread/transmission of contagious disease
Since a novel coronavirus first made its presence known in China, public health officials around the world have had one fervent hope: That people who are infected but not sick would pass the virus to others only rarely. That would give these silent spreaders no more than a bit part in driving a global outbreak. That hope is in danger of being dashed.—Melissa Healy
Melissa Healy7
a
: made without spoken dialogue
silent movies
b
: of or relating to silent movies
silently
adverb
silentness
noun
: a motion picture made without spoken dialogue
—usually used in plural
Synonyms
Examples of silent in a Sentence
Adjective
She was silent for a few minutes as she thought about how to answer him.
The crowd fell silent as the horrible news was read aloud.
My father was a very silent man.
He was the strong, silent type.
He said he would call me, but the phone was silent all day.
A long, silent pause followed her reply.
Recent Examples on the WebAnnika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Birds fell silent and outdoor lights flickered on, tricked by the midday darkness and the sudden chill in the air.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Your husband chose to remain silent rather than describe his feelings and impulses.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
The disputed Coogan account stretches back to the age of silent acting.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Various policymakers and conservative commentators have called for new laws to restrict migration as supporters of foreign labor in the economic ministries and big business have largely stayed silent.
—Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Another accounts for additional conference realignment — a distinct possibility given the lawsuits filed against the ACC by Clemson and Florida State and the silent salivating over North Carolina by the Big Ten and SEC.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
During this time, the temperature will drop, and birds will go silent.
—Caitlin Babcock, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2024
By all accounts, the Sixers front office went radio silent on Harden in the days leading up to his deadline to decide whether to pick up his $35.6 million player option or decline it to become a free agent.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
As American filmmaking was transitioning from silents to sound in the late 1920s, the industry itself was growing more conservative.
—Hazlitt, 6 Sep. 2023
The Meahers, who own much of the land around Africatown, remain conspicuously off-screen and silent.
—Vulture, 24 Jan. 2023
So the various greenhouses and whatnots were familiar to Martha-content enthusiasts as the vans quickly took us past the beautiful part of her property toward the far less handsome back end, where a near-silent feeding frenzy was underway.
—Curbed, 25 Apr. 2022
Unlike at Yankee Stadium, where fans stood in near-silent anticipation each time Judge went to the plate, spectators in Toronto remained seated, for the most part, during his at-bats.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2022
These fans were on Saraya’s side but went radio silent as soon as her promo veered into pro-woman territory.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022
Because the microphone was on, the sound echoed around the theater, which had gone pin-drop silent.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2022
The app can still send audible alerts even if the phone is set to silent.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2022
Adjective
Their abrupt arrival at Eva’s brother, who runs a veterinarian surgery, is awkward for everyone, as Eva has been silent for years, busy dragging her daughter around the world, in her restless pursuit of new adventures and relationships.
—Annika Pham, Variety, 9 Apr. 2024
Birds fell silent and outdoor lights flickered on, tricked by the midday darkness and the sudden chill in the air.
—Dan Horn, The Enquirer, 8 Apr. 2024
Your husband chose to remain silent rather than describe his feelings and impulses.
—Amy Dickinson, Detroit Free Press, 6 Apr. 2024
The disputed Coogan account stretches back to the age of silent acting.
—Chloe Berger, Fortune, 5 Apr. 2024
Various policymakers and conservative commentators have called for new laws to restrict migration as supporters of foreign labor in the economic ministries and big business have largely stayed silent.
—Valerie Hopkins, New York Times, 4 Apr. 2024
Another accounts for additional conference realignment — a distinct possibility given the lawsuits filed against the ACC by Clemson and Florida State and the silent salivating over North Carolina by the Big Ten and SEC.
—Jon Wilner, The Mercury News, 3 Apr. 2024
During this time, the temperature will drop, and birds will go silent.
—Caitlin Babcock, The Christian Science Monitor, 2 Apr. 2024
By all accounts, the Sixers front office went radio silent on Harden in the days leading up to his deadline to decide whether to pick up his $35.6 million player option or decline it to become a free agent.
—Bryan Toporek, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Noun
Chaplin’s run of silents continued into the talkie era.
—Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023
As American filmmaking was transitioning from silents to sound in the late 1920s, the industry itself was growing more conservative.
—Hazlitt, 6 Sep. 2023
The Meahers, who own much of the land around Africatown, remain conspicuously off-screen and silent.
—Vulture, 24 Jan. 2023
So the various greenhouses and whatnots were familiar to Martha-content enthusiasts as the vans quickly took us past the beautiful part of her property toward the far less handsome back end, where a near-silent feeding frenzy was underway.
—Curbed, 25 Apr. 2022
Unlike at Yankee Stadium, where fans stood in near-silent anticipation each time Judge went to the plate, spectators in Toronto remained seated, for the most part, during his at-bats.
—David Waldstein, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2022
These fans were on Saraya’s side but went radio silent as soon as her promo veered into pro-woman territory.
—Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022
Because the microphone was on, the sound echoed around the theater, which had gone pin-drop silent.
—Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2022
The app can still send audible alerts even if the phone is set to silent.
—Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2022
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'silent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near silent
Cite this Entry
“Silent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silent. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
silent
adjective
si·lent
ˈsī-lənt 
1
: not exhibiting or producing the usual signs or symptoms of presence
a silent urinary tract infection
silent gallstones
silent ischemia
2
: relating to or being an infectious disease or pathogen that spreads undetected within a population
Chlamydia can cause fertility problems for women, but is generally asymptomatic, meaning the infection presents no immediate symptoms, said Dr. James Gaskell, health commissioner for the Athens City-County Health Department. As a result, it spreads quickly in dense populations like college campuses, he said. "It's a silent spreader, if you will, Gaskell said.—Sam Howard
Sam Howard3
: being, involving, or caused by an asymptomatic or presymptomatic infectious individual
silent spread/transmission of infectious disease
silent spreaders of contagious disease
4
: yielding no detectable response to stimulation
—used especially of an association area of the brain
silent cortex
5
: having no detectable function or effect
silent DNA
silent genes
silently
adverb
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