1
as in speechless
unable to speak
the child is both deaf and mute because her hearing was lost at birth
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Democrats largely did not speak her name, were mostly mute about the new sentencing memo, and none joined a protest outside the courthouse.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2021
Lenin, too, suffered from manic rage and erratic behavior, and died in his early fifties confined to a wheelchair after multiple strokes left him mute and paralyzed.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2016
Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2025
If the story had really played out the way the modern version does, and was so instrumental to Edmonton learning how to win, shouldn’t their celebrations have been muted?
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Adjective
Bee's signature product is a $49.99 bracelet, and a corresponding Apple Watch app, designed to record all ambient audio unless the user manually activates a mute function.
—Theo Burman, MSNBC Newsweek, 23 July 2025
Democrats largely did not speak her name, were mostly mute about the new sentencing memo, and none joined a protest outside the courthouse.
—David Weigel, semafor.com, 1 Aug. 2025
Noun
Idealizing the beauty of the bucolic landscape often minimizes the labor tied to it, and so Yu disrupts any sense of the natural world as mute and pleasant.
—Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2021
Lenin, too, suffered from manic rage and erratic behavior, and died in his early fifties confined to a wheelchair after multiple strokes left him mute and paralyzed.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2016
Verb
The United States’s response to that violation was muted.
—Zach Lachance, The Washington Examiner, 27 July 2025
If the story had really played out the way the modern version does, and was so instrumental to Edmonton learning how to win, shouldn’t their celebrations have been muted?
—Sean McIndoe, New York Times, 25 July 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 being silent and withdrawn is certainly not helpful either.—
Carolyn Rosenblatt,
Forbes.com,
13 Aug. 2025
-
Millions of Americans are ashamed of our country and our president but are either cowed or silent about stopping the eroding of our democracy.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
There is, of course, one indisputable way to answer any doubters, to silence the critics and change the narrative.—
James McNicholas,
New York Times,
16 Aug. 2025
-
As our nation grows more diverse, so will the efforts to suppress and silence these critical voices.—
Martin Luther King,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
The Dark Knight Rises (2012) Following Heath Ledger’s Joker performance in The Dark Knight was always going to be a difficult task, and this movie’s sound design (like Dunkirk’s) does Hardy a disservice by muffling so much of his dialogue as Bane through that damn mask.—
Roxana Hadadi,
Vulture,
25 Apr. 2025
-
Through new policies and aggressive cuts, the administration is taking steps that will encourage more pollution while muffling the science that shows the harms.—
Zoë Schlanger,
The Atlantic,
9 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Here’s why Nonfarm payrolls rose by just 73,000 in July, below even the muted expectations.—
Yeo Boon Ping,
CNBC,
5 Aug. 2025
-
The situation changes over time, and so, in a more muted way, do the politics.—
Benjamin Wallace-Wells,
New Yorker,
5 Aug. 2025
Noun
-
Peering through the Evija’s rear window reveals springs and brightly anodized dampers, rather than a pair of cam covers.—
Tim Pitt,
Robb Report,
6 Aug. 2025
-
Well, the Cayman does so with adaptive dampers (Sport was my preferred overall setting), whereas the Emira does so with conventional passive units, but both are excellent.—
Peter Nelson,
Forbes.com,
31 July 2025
Verb
-
For a start, the cheers from the nearby Andy Murray Arena are loud and booming, but so too is the exclusive balcony area hanging just to the side of the court, where people are sipping their wine or their Pimm’s and chatting loudly (the judge on court 1 has to shush them at one point).—
Tim Spiers,
New York Times,
20 June 2025
-
The crowd had just spent an entire overtime shushing each other.—
Tony East,
Forbes.com,
22 May 2025
Verb
-
Its decision in late May to buy data management firm Informatica for $8 billion faced some skepticism, and its quarterly results released around the same time failed to quiet the doubters.—
Natasha Abellard,
CNBC,
15 Aug. 2025
-
Promises of talks between Trump and Putin have done little to quiet the violence on the ground since their announcement.—
Freddie Clayton,
NBC news,
9 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mute. Accessed 20 Aug. 2025.
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