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
Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Later in life, when my family moved to America and summer visits were harder to organize, a craving for that primordial silence bonded me to my mother.
—Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 9 May 2026
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Gravity was clearly optional today-a world-class acrobatic finish to silence the rivals.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for silence
Noun
Almost as strange was the voice that would occasionally cut through the silence, proving at least another survivor was in there.
—Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 9 May 2026
Later in life, when my family moved to America and summer visits were harder to organize, a craving for that primordial silence bonded me to my mother.
—Chiara Barzini, Vogue, 9 May 2026
Verb
Demand social media accountability without silencing free speech.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 May 2026
Gravity was clearly optional today-a world-class acrobatic finish to silence the rivals.
—Phil Hay, New York Times, 6 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for silence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silence
Noun
-
The survivors and responders that day remark on the eerie stillness of the atmosphere.—
Jake Goodrick,
Sacbee.com,
9 May 2026
-
But even here, the stillness is partial at best.—
Marisa Ingemi,
Los Angeles Times,
8 May 2026
Noun
-
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
-
Against this backdrop, the current quiet does not signal restraint.—
Will Walters,
STAT,
23 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Does that lead to a kind of obscurity?—
Jay Caspian Kang,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Chambliss routinely produced explosive, clutch plays, overcoming his less-than-ideal size (6-foot-1, 200 pounds) and emerging from a relative obscurity in ways that captured fans' imagination.—
ABC News,
ABC News,
12 May 2026
Verb
-
My mother would shush him and change the subject.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
6 May 2026
-
To the point where Reid shushed him down at times.—
Kansas City Star,
Kansas City Star,
22 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
At scale, the petty-minded bureaucrats implementing an agenda to sanitize American history, and to erase or suppress political dissent, have committed and will continue to commit a great deal of mischief.—
Jill Lepore,
New Yorker,
12 May 2026
-
Florida Forest Service Senior Forester Michelle Danielson said aerial crews from the Broward Sheriff's Office and the National Guard assisted with water drops to help suppress the fire and protect nearby communities.—
Manuel Bojorquez,
CBS News,
12 May 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
-
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
-
The work ethic is there, but so are the routines, the quirks, the quietness, the edge.—
C.J. Holmes,
New York Daily News,
4 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
And every one squandered leaves a mark, takes its toll, ages you just a bit — and takes you one year closer to hockey oblivion.—
Mark Lazerus,
New York Times,
1 May 2026
-
These Knicks don’t sit around and watch Jalen Brunson pound the ball into oblivion.—
Kristian Winfield,
New York Daily News,
29 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silence. Accessed 17 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
