1
as in mute
deliberately refraining from speech
the suddenly silent child had to be prompted to say hello
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in reserved
tending not to speak frequently (as by habit or inclination)
a naturally silent boy, he was often overshadowed by his louder siblings
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in quieted
mostly or entirely without sound
the room was so silent that you could have heard the proverbial pin drop
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in talkie
Synonyms & Similar Words
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of silent
Casey Tolan, CNN Money, 7 May 2025
With a visual style reminiscent of silent films, pulp serials, and very early computer games, Lucas Pope’s masterpiece begins with a mystery: The Obra Dinn, a merchant vessel missing since 1803, has suddenly appeared off the coast of England five years later, with all 60 souls aboard dead.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 6 May 2025
Vulture, 24 Jan. 2023
So the various greenhouses and whatnots were familiar to Martha-content enthusiasts as the vans quickly took us past the beautiful part of her property toward the far less handsome back end, where a near-silent feeding frenzy was underway.
—Curbed, 25 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for silent
Adjective
One of the radio outages appears to have taken place on November 6, when controllers overseeing Newark went silent for more than two minutes, according to air traffic audio from the website LiveATC.net and first published in November by the YouTube channel VASAviation.
—Casey Tolan, CNN Money, 7 May 2025
With a visual style reminiscent of silent films, pulp serials, and very early computer games, Lucas Pope’s masterpiece begins with a mystery: The Obra Dinn, a merchant vessel missing since 1803, has suddenly appeared off the coast of England five years later, with all 60 souls aboard dead.
—Joshua Rivera, Vulture, 6 May 2025
Noun
The Meahers, who own much of the land around Africatown, remain conspicuously off-screen and silent.
—Vulture, 24 Jan. 2023
So the various greenhouses and whatnots were familiar to Martha-content enthusiasts as the vans quickly took us past the beautiful part of her property toward the far less handsome back end, where a near-silent feeding frenzy was underway.
—Curbed, 25 Apr. 2022
See All Example Sentences for silent
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silent
Adjective
-
The online donations poured in alongside notes expressing far-right and racist sympathies, prompting a decision to mute comments by the Christian crowdfunding service hosting the campaign, which has been used to raise money for Daniel Penny, Luigi Mangione and Kyle Rittenhouse.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
5 May 2025
-
Doctors had braced Gianna's parents for the possibility that their daughter might be blind, mute or unable to swallow as the tumor pressed down on the vital nerves of her brain stem.—
Christopher Cann,
USA Today,
25 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
Economists and geopolitical experts, however, are more reserved in their appraisal of the agreement.—
Hugh Cameron,
MSNBC Newsweek,
13 May 2025
-
Drizzle with about 2 tablespoons of the reserved marinade and toss to coat.—
Lynda Balslev,
Mercury News,
29 Apr. 2025
Adjective
-
In helicopter video taken by Air Maui Helicopter Tours in Lahaina and posted online the people aboard are largely speechless.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
10 Aug. 2023
-
Because his work, as is often the case, leaves us almost speechless.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
Ratajkowski has been fighting the stereotype of the dumb model from the beginning of her career.—
Daniel Jackson,
Allure,
18 July 2017
-
Ninety nine percent of all NFL players are explicitly not dumb.—
Andy Benoit,
The MMQB,
10 July 2017
Adjective
-
The saw-whets, perhaps intimidated by the larger owl, had gone quiet.—
Brad Dokken,
Twin Cities,
10 May 2025
-
As economic uncertainties mount and corporate stability feels increasingly tenuous, a quiet revolution is taking place among millennials and Gen Z: the rise of DIY businesses.—
Jasmine Browley,
Forbes.com,
9 May 2025
Noun
-
Levi’s Mid-Length Shorts Nothing says summer in the South like a pair of denim shorts.—
Caley Sturgill,
Southern Living,
18 May 2025
-
Mendonça crams the film with vivid time-capsule details: vintage American cars and vinyl records, token-hungry phone booths and old-school printing presses, obscenely tight shorts and sweltering heat.—
Peter Debruge,
Variety,
18 May 2025
Adjective
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Advertisement Advertisement But hopes for a breakthrough this weekend with the Chinese remain muted.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
9 May 2025
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Over the decades, observance of V-E Day in the West has assumed a more muted, solemn tone.—
Noah Rothman,
National Review,
8 May 2025
Adjective
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In 2024, China's approach to U.S. tariffs remained relatively restrained.—
Kate Nalepinski,
MSNBC Newsweek,
12 May 2025
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Maybe this will be a rare case of restrained longing.—
Laura Bradley,
Vulture,
9 May 2025
Cite this Entry
“Silent.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silent. Accessed 23 May. 2025.
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