the silent treatment

noun

: the act of ignoring someone because one is angry at him or her

Whenever she gets mad at me, she gives me the silent treatment.

Examples of the silent treatment in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Throughout the film, Elle and Tao alternately bicker and give each other the silent treatment over Elle’s plans to go to Berlin after graduation to pursue a career as an artist. — Jessica Sager, PEOPLE, 17 July 2026

What about even more subtle behavior, such as parents criticizing each other or giving one another the silent treatment? — Angela J. Narayan, The Conversation, 9 June 2026

This week, especially, she’s been off, giving me the silent treatment or speaking to me sharply for no clear reason. — Harriette Cole, Mercury News, 12 Feb. 2026

Holman, at times, had to endure racist jokes and slurs, and got the silent treatment from some. — Karen Kucher, San Diego Union-Tribune, 4 Jan. 2026

Rhymes for the silent treatment

• maltreatment
• mistreatment
• posttreatment
• pretreatment