SILENT TREATMENT Synonyms: 17 Similar and Opposite Words

silent treatment

noun

Definition of silent treatment

as in dismissal

treatment that is deliberately unfriendly ever since our run-in at the party she's been giving me the silent treatment

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of silent treatment In the present, they’re awkwardly reunited for his brother’s destination wedding in Barcelona, following two years of mutual silent treatment. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026 Destructive silent treatment creates an imbalanced power dynamic in the relationship. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025 Brit greets everyone, including Kelli, who opts for the ever-mature silent treatment. — Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 June 2025 Modern nineteenth-century prisons in various parts of the world, including in the British empire, began to model their own prisons off of the Eastern State Penitentiary, instituting separate and silent treatments that suppressed language. — Amir Hussain june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for silent treatment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for silent treatment

Noun

The two seasons of the podcast have drawn national attention to the dismissal of women’s pain.

— Leo Barraclough, Variety, 9 July 2026
The department then request a GBI investigation on June 25, 2026, leading to the arrests and dismissal of the officers.

— Irene Wright, USA Today, 8 July 2026

Definition of dismissal

Noun

Despite the Reina Sofía’s many refusals to lend the work to various institutions around the world, its rebuff of the Guggenheim’s request carries a particular sting because the Basque Country has long held that the painting belongs in the place where the depicted tragedy occurred.

— News Desk, Artforum, 1 Apr. 2026
The latest rebuff of state overreach was the dismissal last week of the highly questionable felony case against respected Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly brought by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.

— Charles Selle, Chicago Tribune, 13 Feb. 2026

Definition of rebuff

Noun

Trump’s rejection of the bipartisan housing legislation exacerbates tensions with his own party in a midterm election year and cuts short their efforts to address a key voter concern about rising costs.

— Michelle L. Price, Los Angeles Times, 10 July 2026
And from faculty lounges today comes a gigantic rejection of the Humphrey-to-Obama synthesis.

— David Brooks, The Atlantic, 8 July 2026

Definition of rejection

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silents

silent treatment

silent treatments

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“Silent treatment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silent%20treatment. Accessed 11 Jul. 2026.

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Synonyms of silent treatment

noun

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