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
as in silence
incapacity for or restraint from speaking
we were baffled by his uncharacteristic muteness
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mute
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
Politicians who should understand the issues are mute. Consider the key fact that relative to national populations, as many Danish soldiers died fighting our war Afghanistan fighting as did Americans.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 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
Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 May 2025
An indoor parking bay and elevator modernize the Renaissance without muting its echo.
—Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Adjective
Doctors had braced Gianna's parents for the possibility that their daughter might be blind, mute or unable to swallow as the tumor pressed down on the vital nerves of her brain stem.
—Christopher Cann, USA Today, 25 Apr. 2025
Politicians who should understand the issues are mute. Consider the key fact that relative to national populations, as many Danish soldiers died fighting our war Afghanistan fighting as did Americans.
—Edward Lotterman, Twin Cities, 29 Mar. 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
How to taste tequila Ice can mute some of the flavors in a tequila, Reis said.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appetit Magazine, 13 May 2025
An indoor parking bay and elevator modernize the Renaissance without muting its echo.
—Spencer Elliott, Forbes.com, 12 May 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
-
Plus, each drawer opens and closes smoothly thanks to the silent metal slide construction.—
Bridget Degnan,
Better Homes & Gardens,
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
-
But what's new is both the effort to silence and harm the career prospects of student dissidents as well as the coordinated effort to force universities to shutter entire programs of study for fear that criticism of Israel's policies—and America's complicity with them—might escape containment.—
David Faris,
MSNBC Newsweek,
22 May 2025
-
The fearless testimony of the three survivors during this trial proves that no matter how powerful the abuser, no matter how indifferent the systems that ignore the abuse, survivors will not be silenced.—
Caitlin Huston,
HollywoodReporter,
22 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
-
In turn, Landon placed a bath towel at the bottom of Bella’s bedroom door to muffle her cries, per the release.—
Nicole Acosta,
People.com,
6 May 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
-
In India, sadhus (holy men) consume it during meditation to quiet the mind and deepen spiritual connection.—
Matt Rozo,
Mercury News,
20 May 2025
-
Shipman paused until the chants quieted and continued without acknowledging the shouting.—
Marlene Lenthang,
NBC news,
20 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
Verb
-
Throughout January and February, the neighborhood’s streets were hushed, the Latin American restaurants emptier.—
Jordan Salama,
New Yorker,
5 May 2025
-
But the confidence and craftsmanship invested in Crash are, ultimately, the problem, because the infuriatingly contrived screenplay and hushed seriousness conspire to produce a risible portrait of complex social issues reduced to glib plot points.—
Will Leitch,
Vulture,
3 Mar. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Mute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mute. Accessed 29 May. 2025.
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