1
as in stillness
incapacity for or restraint from speaking
the violinist expects complete silence from the audience during his concerts
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quiet
the near or complete absence of sound
the silence of the garden was refreshing after the din of the party inside
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in obscurity
the quality or state of being mostly or completely unknown
the book eventually vanished into the silence that awaits best sellers whose time has past
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to quiet
to stop the noise or speech of
the instructor quickly silenced anyone who tried to interrupt we need to have a repairman come and silence that door alarm
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to suppress
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
brutally silenced all political dissent in the country
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of silence
Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Instead of building another traditional lounge around silence and exclusivity, the founders designed a social space with energy, entertainment and technology at the center.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Meanwhile, Avila-Siqueiros was silencing the Warner bats, allowing just four walks and an error in the first five innings.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for silence
Noun
Viewers see Mary being interrogated by Async employee Phil (Mark Duplass), as well as a twisted version of Mary sitting in silence by herself.
—Emily Blackwood, PEOPLE, 30 May 2026
Instead of building another traditional lounge around silence and exclusivity, the founders designed a social space with energy, entertainment and technology at the center.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 30 May 2026
Verb
Rachel Cohen worried that demonstrators exercising their 1st Amendment rights were being silenced.
—Philip Marcelo, Los Angeles Times, 30 May 2026
Meanwhile, Avila-Siqueiros was silencing the Warner bats, allowing just four walks and an error in the first five innings.
—Kevin J. Farmer, San Diego Union-Tribune, 29 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for silence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silence
Noun
-
The track, which is the resonant chime of the Sacred Bell of Great King Seongdeok, blends with the room's spatial stillness and imagery, setting the experience in motion.—
Laura Sirikul,
Forbes.com,
31 May 2026
-
That internal stillness became central to Christopher’s interpretation of the character — a man trapped beneath extraordinary public pressure while struggling to hear his own voice through the noise surrounding him.—
Dave Quinn,
PEOPLE,
28 May 2026
Noun
-
Wow that the quiet of Sunday surfaces feelings the rest of the week buries.—
Lauren Jarvis-Gibson,
Kansas City Star,
27 May 2026
-
Rooms The rooms at Senda are designed to blend with the lush backdrop and immerse guests in the quiet of the jungle.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
3 May 2026
Noun
-
Crossed spears of sunlight fall into it but only so far, and beneath their yellow illuminations Brith can see depths and more depths of water, darkening to obscurity.—
Maggie O’Farrell,
Literary Hub,
2 June 2026
-
In the age of social media, casting directors still have managed to find industry newcomers with relative digital obscurity and turn them into bona fide stars overnight.—
Max Gao,
HollywoodReporter,
30 May 2026
Verb
-
Wine country with kids in tow doesn’t have to mean a stressful afternoon of shushing and screen time.—
Lauren Schuster,
Fort Worth Star-Telegram,
3 June 2026
-
Turning to shush it, Adele saw Dean with his tongue in her mother’s mouth and his hand up under her minidress.—
Jonathan Franzen,
New Yorker,
1 June 2026
Verb
-
Economists have cautioned that the US-Israeli war with Iran and the related oil and supply shock could suppress hiring activity in the United States.—
Alicia Wallace,
CNN Money,
2 June 2026
-
His puck-moving play was completely suppressed in the offensive zone, too.—
Shayna Goldman,
New York Times,
2 June 2026
Noun
-
Both men regularly bash Trump during their monologues, but the president’s tirade against the Pope left them puzzled to the point of near-speechlessness.—
Zack Sharf,
Variety,
14 Apr. 2026
-
Both brothers were intellectually precocious, but Scott could be shy to the point of speechlessness.—
Eren Orbey,
New Yorker,
13 Oct. 2025
Noun
-
The quietness of the landscape and the absence of distractions or irritations is an instant balm.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
2 June 2026
-
There’s a lot of quiet in the country, and there’s a lot of quietness in my children.—
Andrea Wurzburger,
PEOPLE,
29 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Liberal hero Stephen Colbert’s long swan song into podcast oblivion showed how clueless Democrats are who worship the rich TV host who lost his job because his show lost $40 million a year for CBS.—
Joe Battenfeld,
Boston Herald,
28 May 2026
-
Performance issues that should be addressed early get documented into oblivion and quietly managed around.—
Darrin Lipscomb,
Forbes.com,
26 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silence. Accessed 6 Jun. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
