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 silence
incapacity for or restraint from speaking
we were baffled by his uncharacteristic muteness
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mute
Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2026
The shot went in, and the awe of Wemby pressed the mute button on the deafening arena.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Her media muteness gave her an icy cool, letting her work do the talking, both attributes that many luxury brands aspire to.
—Matteo Atti, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Adjective
Kimiko uttered one word during the season five finale, which signified a return to form for her character, who was mute throughout the first four installments of the series.
—Mckinley Franklin, HollywoodReporter, 23 May 2026
The shot went in, and the awe of Wemby pressed the mute button on the deafening arena.
—Marcus Thompson Ii, New York Times, 19 May 2026
Noun
Audrey Hudson, twenty-four, is a gifted battlefield surgeon who feigns muteness to comfort Carter Reynolds, a combat soldier deafened by an explosion.
—Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Her media muteness gave her an icy cool, letting her work do the talking, both attributes that many luxury brands aspire to.
—Matteo Atti, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mute
Adjective
-
His friends, from brother Luigi (Charlie Day) to Princess Peach (Anya Taylor-Joy) veer in a similar direction, somehow coming across less fully formed and three-dimensional than their nearly speechless inspirations from Nintendo‘s flagship franchise.—
Wilson Chapman,
IndieWire,
31 Mar. 2026
-
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
Adjective
-
For the next hour, pages turned until silent reading time made way for more conversation.—
Sneha Dhandapani,
CNN Money,
6 June 2026
-
Many people wait until ideas feel perfectly polished before contributing, which often leads them to remain silent too long.—
Dr. Diane Hamilton,
Forbes.com,
6 June 2026
Noun
-
Their departure was followed by a kind of thick, building-wide silence, when, just moments before, there had been voices in the stairwell, where at least three families had gathered to talk.—
Andrea Bajani,
New Yorker,
7 June 2026
-
The silence of the canyon mouth was replaced by the soft rush of a creek, bird songs, and the constant cacophony of dragonflies and gnats.—
Elise Schmelzer,
Denver Post,
7 June 2026
Adjective
-
His trademark cool was sidelined by a more demonstrative style, closer to the theatrical sensibilities of 2Pac than the muted menace that once defined him.—
Jayson Buford,
Rolling Stone,
3 June 2026
-
Breeding siblings The first step was to find a common bean plant with a muted In11 receptor.—
Jacek Krywko,
ArsTechnica,
3 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Mute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mute. Accessed 9 Jun. 2026.
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