wordless

adjective

word·​less ˈwərd-ləs How to pronounce wordless (audio)
1
: not expressed in or accompanied by words
a wordless picture book
2
: silent, speechless
sat wordless throughout the meeting
wordlessly adverb
wordlessness noun

Examples of wordless in a Sentence

he stood wordless before his accusers a wordless fondness for each other
Recent Examples on the Web This one also features a nearly wordless girlfriend who gets caught up in the fray of being a hitman’s wordless girlfriend. Vulture, 8 Sep. 2023 Spalding’s mostly wordless singing was pleasant but didn’t build much momentum or dynamic tension. George Varga, San Diego Union-Tribune, 24 Aug. 2023 There’s a sweet poignancy and lilt to the brief, wordless scenes of the young boys, portrayed by actors, and that sense of soul-deep connection reverberates, later in the series, in vérité sequences of Shorter and Hancock working out an arrangement or melody. Sheri Linden, The Hollywood Reporter, 22 Aug. 2023 The scene is a more satisfying end than the few, wordless panels Elle and Tao get in the original comics. Malia Mendez, Los Angeles Times, 12 Aug. 2023 Ariana DeBose may have handled this year’s writer-less Tony Awards by performing a wordless dance of solidarity, but there’s only so much an awards show can do without both writers and actors. Vulture, 27 July 2023 Marcus lifts the fence and saves the man, who stands up, wraps in him a wordless hug and bikes away. Selome Hailu, Variety, 30 June 2023 According to curator Kelly Montana, the wordless novel, alongside cinema, was one of the most popular forms of entertainment and social commentary in Europe at the turn of the 20th century. Brittanie Shey, Chron, 21 Apr. 2023 Celeb pals of the couple also added their own mostly wordless comments, with Cara Delevingne posting a trio of three red heart emojis and DJ Khaled leaving a single fire emoji. Glenn Rowley, Billboard, 20 Apr. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'wordless.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

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

Dictionary Entries Near wordless

Cite this Entry

“Wordless.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/wordless. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.

Kids Definition

wordless

adjective
word·​less ˈwərd-ləs How to pronounce wordless (audio)
1
: not expressed in or having words
a wordless picture book
2
: silent sense 1, speechless
sat wordless throughout the meeting
wordlessly adverb
wordlessness noun

More from Merriam-Webster on wordless

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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