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

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

Adjective

• inarticulate
• speechless
• voiceless

Noun

• damper

Verb (1)

• dumb
• extinguish
• hush
• quell
• quiet
• quieten [chiefly British]
• settle
• shush
• shut up
• silence
• squelch
• still

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

According to his family, Tony was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022 and became mute when his larynx had to be removed. —Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025

Other buttons include volume rockers, a mute button, Google Assistant, and more. —Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 2025

Noun

After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her — sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date. —Vulture, 12 Dec. 2022

After accidentally starting a wildfire, 7-year-old Lu, mute and from an abusive home, slyly tricks Merribelle, a hardworking trans woman, into kidnapping her – sparking a beautifully unexpected bond with a devastating expiration date. —Mia Galuppo, The Hollywood Reporter, 12 Dec. 2022

Verb

The Canadiens at that point had not generated a whole lot offensively, the game appeared on the verge of tilting in the Capitals’ favor, and the Bell Centre crowd had been somewhat muted — or at least a bit less of a factor. —The Athletic Nhl Staff, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

So the response at a recent energy security conference to U.S. energy policies was muted yet pointed. —Christine Ro, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

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

• deaf-mute
• mute swan

Rhymes for mute

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

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