silent

1 of 2

adjective

si·​lent ˈsī-lənt How to pronounce silent (audio)
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
They all fell silent, looking rather scared.J. K. Rowling
b
: tending to speak very little : not loquacious
As a former silent person, part of me gravitates to talkers.Georgia Brown
When 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
2
: 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
(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
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
7
a
: made without spoken dialogue
silent movies
b
: of or relating to silent movies
silently adverb
silentness noun

silent

2 of 2

noun

: a motion picture made without spoken dialogue
usually used in plural
Choose the Right Synonym for silent

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

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 Web
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.
Adjective
The Hollywood epic sees Chazelle embrace an aesthetic of decadence and depravity to showcase the outrageous excess of 1920s Hollywood, as the industry transitions from silent pictures to the talkies. Shania Russell, EW.com, 27 Nov. 2024 Near the end of the last chorus, the instruments go respectfully silent as the narrator makes his confession a capella. Tom Zoellner, SPIN, 27 Nov. 2024
Noun
Boles started his Hollywood career in the silents, but became a big star in the talkies. Michael Barnes, Austin American-Statesman, 5 Nov. 2024 Chaplin’s run of silents continued into the talkie era. Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 See all Example Sentences for silent 

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

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

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of silent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near silent

Cite this Entry

“Silent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silent. Accessed 10 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

silent

adjective
si·​lent
ˈsī-lənt
1
: not speaking
stood silent before the court
2
: tending not to say much
a very silent person
3
: free from sound or noise : still
4
: done or felt without speaking
silent reading
silent grief
5
a
: making no mention
history is silent about this incident
b
: not active in running a business
a silent partner
6
: not pronounced
silent "e" in "came"
the "b" in "doubt" is silent
7
: made without recorded sound
silent movies
silently adverb

Medical Definition

silent

adjective
si·​lent ˈsī-lənt How to pronounce silent (audio)
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
3
: 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

Legal Definition

silent

adjective
si·​lent
1
: making no utterance : resolved not to speak especially about a certain topic
the right to remain silent
2
: making no mention or account : omitting explanation and leaving questions unanswered
a criminal statute silent as to the requirement of intent
3
: taking no active part in the conduct of a business
a silent member of a firm
see also silent partner at partner

More from Merriam-Webster on silent

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