as in dismissal
treatment that is deliberately unfriendly
ever since our run-in at the party she's been giving me the silent treatment
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silent treatment
In the present, they’re awkwardly reunited for his brother’s destination wedding in Barcelona, following two years of mutual silent treatment.
—
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
Destructive silent treatment creates an imbalanced power dynamic in the relationship.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Brit greets everyone, including Kelli, who opts for the ever-mature silent treatment.
—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
22 June 2025
Modern nineteenth-century prisons in various parts of the world, including in the British empire, began to model their own prisons off of the Eastern State Penitentiary, instituting separate and silent treatments that suppressed language.
—
Amir Hussain
june 6,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for silent treatment
Guy Lodge,
Variety,
8 Jan. 2026
Destructive silent treatment creates an imbalanced power dynamic in the relationship.
—
Mark Travers,
Forbes.com,
14 Sep. 2025
Brit greets everyone, including Kelli, who opts for the ever-mature silent treatment.
—
Shelby Stewart,
Essence,
22 June 2025
Modern nineteenth-century prisons in various parts of the world, including in the British empire, began to model their own prisons off of the Eastern State Penitentiary, instituting separate and silent treatments that suppressed language.
—
Amir Hussain
june 6,
Literary Hub,
6 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for silent treatment
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silent treatment
Noun
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But his tenure was also marked by a notoriously volatile temperament that ultimately led to his dismissal in September 2000.
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Just a brutal start for Qatar, which now gets a red card and the dismissal of Homam El Amin.
Noun
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Executives at firms like Microsoft and Meta have turned a cold shoulder in the last week alone.
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There are screaming matches and cold shoulders.
Noun
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Despite the Reina Sofía’s many refusals to lend the work to various institutions around the world, its rebuff of the Guggenheim’s request carries a particular sting because the Basque Country has long held that the painting belongs in the place where the depicted tragedy occurred.
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The latest rebuff of state overreach was the dismissal last week of the highly questionable felony case against respected Waukegan City Clerk Janet Kilkelly brought by the Lake County State’s Attorney’s Office.
Noun
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This finding specifically held true for people with fearful and preoccupied attachment styles, two subtypes of insecure attachment associated with a craving for intimacy but, respectively, a deep fear of it or a fear of rejection and abandonment.
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Someone with anxious attachment may worry about rejection, seek excessive reassurance or feel uncertain about the stability of relationships.
Cite this Entry
“Silent treatment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silent%20treatment. Accessed 26 Jun. 2026.
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