silenced 1 of 2

adjective

as in suppressed

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silenced

2 of 2

verb

past tense of silence
1
as in shushed
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

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quelled
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force brutally silenced all political dissent in the country

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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 silenced
Adjective
When monitoring wanes and enforcement fades, workers pay the price first in wages and safety, then in silenced voices and must choose between an empty stomach and their rights. — Tharo Khun, Sourcing Journal, 8 Jan. 2026
Verb
People named Mitch Bratt and Caleb Ferguson have silenced them in recent days. — Zack Meisel, New York Times, 4 Aug. 2026 Morgan silenced the critics and played into her heel persona—one that wants to hold the title for 1,000 days—with a strong victory over Iyo Sky. — Alfred Konuwa, Forbes.com, 2 Aug. 2026 When the team silenced these neurons, the flies got lost entirely, wandering upwind with no idea how to get back. — Jacek Krywko, ArsTechnica, 1 Aug. 2026 The two newspapers were briefly silenced by the White House, which persuaded the courts to order them to cease releasing the documents, and then were vindicated when the Supreme Court barred the government from restraining publication. — Heather Hendershot, The Conversation, 31 July 2026 Normal mice were drawn to the scents—but not mice whose granule cells had been silenced by optical fibers that the researchers implanted in the animals’ brains to switch these cells on and off. — Tom Metcalfe, Scientific American, 29 July 2026 Your phone could be in a pocket, buried in a bag or silenced during work. — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 July 2026 Black sages have shown that Black rage will not be silenced; rather, it is directed toward creative expression. — Literary Hub, 27 July 2026 The section of the AT&T Stadium concourse where the group of DFW sports faces and media had gathered was quickly silenced. — Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 15 July 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silenced
  1. suppressed
  2. shushed
  3. quelled
  4. stifled
  5. quieted
  6. subdued
  7. repressed
  8. muted
Adjective
  • General Manager Ken Holland hinted at potentially being done after trading center Phillip Danault for a draft pick in December and acquiring Panarin at a suppressed price in February, though he has been known to under-promise often and, sometimes, over-deliver.
    — Andrew Knoll, Daily News, 3 Mar. 2026
  • Supervising sound editor Alastair Sirkett told IndieWire that Peter Claffey’s big, former-rugby-player frame really helps that moment sing with suppressed panic.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 18 Feb. 2026
Definition of suppressed
Verb
  • As the moment unfolded, Savannah shushed the future king and even briefly placed her hand over his mouth in an effort to keep him composed.
    — Staff Author, InStyle, 13 June 2026
  • The Giants offense got shushed Wednesday night by Shohei Ohtani, and their hitters went down almost as quietly against right-hander Emmet Sheehan.
    — Andrew Baggarly, New York Times, 15 May 2026
Definition of shushed
Verb
  • Meanwhile, officials have quelled concerns about nearby nuclear power stations.
    — Tiago Ventura, Time, 30 July 2026
  • As the activist Assata Olugbala Shakur remarks, the chains of oppression can be broken with love, support, and care, and the Black radical imagination cannot be quelled even when our lives are on the line.
    — Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 27 July 2026
Definition of quelled
Adjective
  • Literature, in his view, was a susurrus of stifled screams, a missive from the netherworld of the collective imaginary.
    — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 1 June 2026
Definition of stifled
Verb
  • With a few more changeups and a little more aggression, Cease has quieted complaints of short outings.
    — Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 1 Aug. 2026
  • The room quieted as the program paused to acknowledge people whose lives and work had affected the community.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 28 July 2026
Definition of quieted
Verb
  • Trump spent time discussing the April attack in his remarks, thanking the law enforcement personnel who subdued the suspect.
    — Todd Spangler, Variety, 25 July 2026
  • The suspect in the shooting at the April dinner, Cole Tomas Allen, was subdued a floor above the ballroom after allegedly shooting a Secret Service officer in his ballistic vest while running through a security checkpoint.
    — Bart Jansen, USA Today, 24 July 2026
Definition of subdued
Adjective
  • The second, now promoted by a zillion MAGA podcasts, is a postapocalyptic hellscape of sclerotic socialism, repressed speech, and rampaging Muslims.
    — Helen Lewis, The Atlantic, 26 July 2026
  • The film is said to follow a repressed philosophy professor who has been grappling with lingering guilt over a decision from his past when the victim suddenly returns to his life.
    — Zac Ntim, Deadline, 23 July 2026
Definition of repressed
Verb
  • But despite the surge in job openings, actual hiring was muted.
    — Jason Ma, Fortune, 2 Aug. 2026
  • At an institution where nearly everything else has been muted, the most enduring expression of what the Kennedy Center once was now lives on its smallest stage.
    — Janay Kingsberry, The Atlantic, 30 July 2026
Definition of muted

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Cite this Entry

“Silenced.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silenced. Accessed 6 Aug. 2026.

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Nglish: Translation of silenced for Spanish Speakers

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