1
: not expressed in or accompanied by words
a wordless picture book
2
: silent, speechless
sat wordless throughout the meeting
wordlessly
adverb
wordlessness
noun
Synonyms
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
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
Articles Related to wordless
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.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
wordless
adjective
word·less
ˈwərd-ləs 
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
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