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
Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Other buttons include volume rockers, a mute button, Google Assistant, and more.
—Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 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
Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 4 May 2025
The artwork inside the Sistine Chapel While the exterior of the Sistine Chapel is muted, it is regarded for its majestic interior, as the walls and ceiling are decorated with frescoes created by many Florentine Renaissance artists.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 30 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Adjective
According to his family, Tony was diagnosed with lung cancer in 2022 and became mute when his larynx had to be removed.
—Angel Saunders, People.com, 19 Apr. 2025
Other buttons include volume rockers, a mute button, Google Assistant, and more.
—Prakhar Khanna, Forbes.com, 17 Apr. 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
And the outfits somehow managed to maintain their essence amid the rain, safely tucked away under large, clear ponchos so as not to be fully muted.
—Rohan Nadkarni, NBC news, 4 May 2025
The artwork inside the Sistine Chapel While the exterior of the Sistine Chapel is muted, it is regarded for its majestic interior, as the walls and ceiling are decorated with frescoes created by many Florentine Renaissance artists.
—Terry Collins, USA Today, 30 Apr. 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
-
Their work resists gentrification's silent displacement and instead champions intentional design, historical reverence, and generational empowerment.—
Stephanie Tharpe,
Forbes.com,
20 May 2025
-
There were silent Sunday night dinners at restaurants and essentially no contact with any extended relatives.—
Samantha Masunaga,
Los Angeles Times,
20 May 2025
Verb
-
Burke silenced the Royals early at Kauffman Stadium.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
7 May 2025
-
Over time, this avoidance can silence even the most passionate voices.—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
6 May 2025
Verb
-
Congressional push-back is inevitable, but the promise of tens of thousands of U.S. jobs can muffle many speeches.—
Guney Yildiz,
Forbes.com,
13 May 2025
-
Harvard researched how to use sonar against Nazi submarines and how to muffle noise in long-range bombers, contributing to the development of fiberglass.—
L. RAFAEL REIF,
Foreign Affairs,
6 May 2025
Noun
-
Trump’s tariffs have put a major damper on that plan.—
Ryan Fonseca,
Los Angeles Times,
2 May 2025
-
Less daylight and wind meant the pitch was damper and more prone to disease.—
Matt Slater,
New York Times,
29 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Gert laughed, too, until the two of them were shushing each other quite loudly.—
Lizz Schumer,
People.com,
3 May 2025
-
One day at the Scottish Open, a volunteer held up the quiet sign and shushed the crowd as Morikawa prepared to hit from the fairway.—
Brody Miller,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
Trump’s April 2 tariff announcement largely quieted the media frenzy surrounding the leak of U.S. military attack plans to Atlantic editor-in-chief Jeffrey Goldberg, what was widely considered to be the first major blunder of his second term.—
Sara Dorn,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
-
Can center-ground politicians, who have long dominated democratic governments, find a way to quiet the siren song of angry, antiestablishment nationalism?—
Ned Temko,
Christian Science Monitor,
8 May 2025
Verb
-
Where conspiracies dumb us down to eventually believe that nothing is actually true?—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
-
To dumb it down, think about how action figures of the past had limited points of articulation.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
11 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Mute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mute. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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