mute

1 of 4

adjective

ˈmyüt 

muter; mutest

1

: unable to speak : lacking the power of speech

2

: characterized by absence of speech: such as

a

: felt or experienced but not expressed

touched her hand in mute sympathy

her mute hostility

b

: refusing to plead directly or stand trial

the prisoner stands mute

3

: remaining silent, undiscovered, or unrecognized

The hounds generally hunt mute, so they can get close to the game.

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

mutely adverb

muteness noun

mute

2 of 4

noun

plural mutes

1

: a device attached to or inserted into a musical instrument to soften or alter its tone

2

: stop entry 2 sense 9

3

dated, offensive : a person who lacks the ability to speak

mute

3 of 4

verb (1)

muted; muting

transitive verb

1

: to muffle, reduce, or eliminate the sound of

covered their ears to mute the sounds of the chainsaw

2

: to tone down : soften, subdue

mute a color

mute

4 of 4

verb (2)

muted; muting

intransitive verb

of a bird

: to evacuate the cloaca

Synonyms of mute

Adjective

• speechless
• silent

Noun

• quieter
• damper

Verb (1)

• silence
• shush
• quiet
• dumb
• hush
• settle

Examples of mute in a Sentence

Adjective

They hugged each other in mute sympathy.

I could see a mute plea for help in his eyes.

Noun

I was practicing my trumpet at three in the morning when the mute fell out, and I managed to wake everyone up.

Verb (1)

muted the television while she was on the phone

closing the windows muted the traffic noise so we could get to sleep

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Fauci sat mute as Johnson described adverse health effects from COVID-19 vaccines and the efficacy of ivermectin to treat the virus. — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 29 July 2026

The microphone boom has a mute LED and can rotate through 270 degrees, enabling the headset to be worn with the microphone boom arm on the left or the right side. — Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 26 July 2026

Noun

Almost a decade ago, Jon Bernthal and Tom Holland starred in a little movie called Pilgrimage, in which the former is a mute and the latter is his sole companion. — Fran Hoepfner, Vulture, 23 July 2026

The ballads, though, are where the trumpeter puts on his Harmon mute and things turn magical. — Natalie Weiner, Pitchfork, 19 June 2026

Verb

At an institution where nearly everything else has been muted, the most enduring expression of what the Kennedy Center once was now lives on its smallest stage. — Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026

The point is proximity—to power, to being chosen, to feeling newly visible—no longer muted by pregnancy, by new motherhood, by the strain of white-knuckling long stretches of sobriety. — Noe Padilla, USA Today, 28 July 2026

Word History

Etymology

Adjective, Noun, and Verb (1)

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

Verb (2)

Middle English, from Anglo-French *meutir, short for ameutir, alteration of Old French esmeltir, of Germanic origin; akin to Middle Dutch smelten to melt, make fluid, defecate (of birds)

First Known Use

Adjective

1513, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun

1530, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Verb (1)

1883, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb (2)

15th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing mute

• mute swan

Rhymes for mute

• boot
• bruit
• brut
• brute
• chute
• coot
• cute
• flute
• fruit
• hoot
• jute
• loot

Kids Definition

mute

1 of 3 adjective

ˈmyüt 

muter; mutest

1

: unable to speak

2

: felt but not expressed in words

mute sympathy

3

: not pronounced : silent

the mute "b" in "thumb"

mutely adverb

muteness noun

mute

2 of 3 noun

1

offensive : a person who cannot or does not speak

—used especially in the past

2

: a device attached to or inserted into a musical instrument to reduce, soften, or muffle its tone

3

: stop entry 2 sense 9

mute

3 of 3 verb

muted; muting

1

: to muffle or reduce the sound of

2

: to tone down

muted his criticism

Medical Definition

mute

1 of 2 adjective

ˈmyüt 

muter; mutest

: unable to speak : lacking the power of speech

muteness noun

mute

2 of 2 noun

dated, offensive : a person who lacks the ability to speak