1
as in calming
to free from distress or disturbance
the nanny tried to quieten the children with assurances that help was on its way
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quieting
to stop the noise or speech of
one young chap was trying to quieten down the group
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of quietening
The crowd, quietening into a slow clap with the moment building, burst into a celebration.
—
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 5 Oct. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quietening
Verb
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All three releases belong to a rapidly expanding category of interactive entertainment that’s defined less by compelling characters and storylines than the calming effect of creating and organizing a functional system.—
Alison Foreman,
IndieWire,
16 Apr. 2026
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Much of the rally has been due to expectations for calming tensions in the war and a resumption of the full flow of oil from the Persian Gulf to customers worldwide through the Strait of Hormuz.—
Stan Choe,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Apr. 2026
Verb
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The alarms go off, the two get locked in the entry hall, and as Emma panics, Charlie rushes over to kiss her, quieting her fear.—
Shirley Li,
The Atlantic,
8 Apr. 2026
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Research has linked prolonged exposure to that level of ambient noise to elevated stress and anxiety, so by quieting that baseline sensory load, ANC creates the right environment for some calming music or a meditation app to do its job.—
Stacey Leasca,
Travel + Leisure,
7 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Part of the Nordic ESS Group collection of hotels, Rox meshes soothing Scandinavian minimalism with a welcome moodiness.—
Travel + Leisure Editors,
Travel + Leisure,
15 Apr. 2026
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Supplements made with arnica have excellent reputations for relieving arthritis pain, soothing sore muscles and accelerating healing for bruises and sprains.—
BestReviews,
Chicago Tribune,
14 Apr. 2026
Verb
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As war descended on Iran, the regime once again cut off internet and communications across the country, controlling its people and silencing their messages of resilience.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
15 Mar. 2026
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Instead of silencing the public and turning them away, Democrats should stay and do the job they were elected to do.—
Kaitlin McCallum,
Hartford Courant,
9 Mar. 2026
Verb
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Glamp or camp under the starry skies with Lake Superior's waves lulling you to sleep at Grand Marais Recreation Area or Pincushion Mountain Haus.—
Joie Probst,
Midwest Living,
25 Jan. 2026
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While Boyle’s iPhone camera rigs zipped and zoomed around the landscape with an almost game-like mobility, Bobbitt’s camera shakes with zombie rage and then stills, lulling us in and out of violence and peace.—
Katie Walsh,
Twin Cities,
16 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Levy sat on the floor, watching like a proud father and shushing whisperers.—
Jane Bua,
New Yorker,
9 Feb. 2026
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Top sleep aid for kids This extremely popular sound machine uses an authentic human voice to calm babies to sleep with a calming, shushing sound.—
BestReviews,
Mercury News,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
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Why, Fredriksen has asked, would writers of the mid-second century, composing pseudonymous letters in the voice of a first-century figure, include statements predicting Christ’s imminent return?—
Adam Gopnik,
New Yorker,
13 Apr. 2026
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Seeing something on the moon, describing it, and composing a photograph from a very close distance is a different experience from viewing something from afar, or even seeing a close-up captured by a robotic camera.—
Rebecca Boyle,
The Atlantic,
10 Apr. 2026
Verb
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Questioning whether Jews deserve equal rights without muting their identity is not a neutral intellectual exercise.—
Kenneth L. Marcus,
Boston Herald,
13 Apr. 2026
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At the bottom of the screen are buttons for recording video, taking a snapshot, initiating two-way talk, playing a pre-recorded quick response voice message, and muting the sound.—
John R. Delaney,
PC Magazine,
11 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Quietening.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quietening. Accessed 18 Apr. 2026.
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