1
as in speechless
unable to speak
the child is both deaf and mute because her hearing was lost at birth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silent
deliberately refraining from speech
remained mute no matter how much we pleaded for an answer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quieter
a device on a musical instrument that deadens or softens its tone
I was practicing my trumpet at three in the morning when the mute fell out, and I managed to wake everyone up
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in to muffle
to deaden the sound of
closing the windows muted the traffic noise so we could get to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mute
Nelly Klos
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
With a tactical view on mute or turning the volume up.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Chris Smith, BGR, 18 May 2022
Aminatta had come to Kissy from a crowded low-income neighborhood in the city, mute and immobile with a depression that had never been treated.
—New York Times, 11 Apr. 2022
Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images While the impact so far this year has been muted, tariffs are expected to catch up with prices consumers pay just in time for the holiday shopping season.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Adjective
The novel immerses the reader in the world of a Carpathian village in the 1970s, where the main character Darusya lives, whom the locals consider mute and mentally retarded due to attacks of headaches, although none of them guesses the true reasons for her behavior and defiance.
—Nelly Klos
september 29, Literary Hub, 29 Sep. 2025
With a tactical view on mute or turning the volume up.
—Art De Roché, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2025
Noun
Other nice-to-have features include some ruggedness in the design, so the phone doesn’t need a case, IP68 water, and dust resistance, a hardware mute switch, and eSIM support.
—Chris Smith, BGR, 18 May 2022
Aminatta had come to Kissy from a crowded low-income neighborhood in the city, mute and immobile with a depression that had never been treated.
—New York Times, 11 Apr. 2022
Verb
The newsroom union claims the change is throttling staff diversity and muting the magazine’s progressive political bent.
—Katie Kilkenny, HollywoodReporter, 3 Nov. 2025
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images While the impact so far this year has been muted, tariffs are expected to catch up with prices consumers pay just in time for the holiday shopping season.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mute
Adjective
-
In helicopter video taken by Air Maui Helicopter Tours in Lahaina and posted online the people aboard are largely speechless.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
10 Aug. 2023
-
Because his work, as is often the case, leaves us almost speechless.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
But New Delhi remained notably silent on the subject of domestic repression.—
MUHIB RAHMAN,
Foreign Affairs,
12 Nov. 2025
-
The room was silent, save for the heavy, mechanized breathing of the huge man in black armor standing to one side of the throne dais.—
Jeff Spry,
Space.com,
10 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
These political executions are a callous attempt by the authorities to frighten and silence an increasingly restive population no longer willing to accept their corrupt and oppressive rule.—
Jackson Thompson,
FOXNews.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Service members such as Partezana were sworn to silence for 43 years following the tests — until the law mandating that silence was lifted in 1996 — and given little warning about the harmful physical side effects of nuclear fallout.—
Hope Hodge Seck,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.—
George Packer,
The Atlantic,
6 Nov. 2025
-
Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that’s just the TV overlords punching air.—
Steven Louis Goldstein,
New York Times,
28 Oct. 2025
Adjective
-
That snare sound is as instantly identifiable as Miles Davis’s muted horn or Eddie Van Halen’s pyrotechnic neck tapping.—
John Lingan,
Rolling Stone,
8 Nov. 2025
-
With an understated mix of blue and yellow tones that provide warmth but still feel muted.—
Audrey Lee,
Architectural Digest,
6 Nov. 2025
Noun
-
Lowering the thermostat, checking and replacing air filters and ensuring fireplace dampers are closed when not in use can all help conserve energy, added the FTC.—
Diana Leyva,
Nashville Tennessean,
10 Nov. 2025
-
Tax rises would likely act as another damper on inflation by reducing consumer demand.—
Holly Ellyatt,
CNBC,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
In the clip, the then-6-year-old can be seen walking with his iPad to the next room and shushing everyone.—
Kayla Grant,
PEOPLE,
10 Oct. 2025
-
The View has a long history of guests receiving sustained standing ovations — and Goldberg attempting to shush rowdy audience members.—
Joey Nolfi,
Entertainment Weekly,
7 Oct. 2025
Verb
-
To try to quiet the baby, the mother and another woman took turns bouncing her on their knees.—
Daniel Gonzalez,
AZCentral.com,
6 Nov. 2025
-
An 8-4 finish might quiet the noise because anything less, and the $55 million question returns to the table.—
D’Joumbarey Moreau,
Miami Herald,
5 Nov. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mute. Accessed 12 Nov. 2025.
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