the silent treatment
noun
: the act of ignoring someone because one is angry at him or her
Whenever she gets mad at me, she gives me the silent treatment.
Examples of the silent treatment in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Dear Carolyn: How to deal with a long-term friend who punishes people — including her 90-year-old mother, her daughter, her husband and me — with the silent treatment, lasting weeks or months?
—
Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
For example, the individual gives their partner the silent treatment and goes on a long walk without informing them of their whereabouts.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
As his teammates continued to give him the silent treatment, Ohtani raised his arms and waved them.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
The job market may take a while to present an opportunity, and my parents are giving me the silent treatment.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
But they are easily hurt and prone to giving the silent treatment (sometimes for a year or so) when angry.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023
The benefits of the silent treatment have never been better articulated.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
In interviews with The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 women alleged Gustin used obscenities while insulting them, humiliated them in front of teammates, gave the silent treatment to some, and threatened to revoke scholarships.
—Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
After weeks of giving Earth the silent treatment, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft is once again communicating with mission control from billions of miles away.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023
Carolyn Hax, Washington Post, 11 Apr. 2024
For example, the individual gives their partner the silent treatment and goes on a long walk without informing them of their whereabouts.
—Mark Travers, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
As his teammates continued to give him the silent treatment, Ohtani raised his arms and waved them.
—Dylan Hernández, Los Angeles Times, 12 Mar. 2024
The job market may take a while to present an opportunity, and my parents are giving me the silent treatment.
—Amy Dickinson, Washington Post, 21 Feb. 2024
But they are easily hurt and prone to giving the silent treatment (sometimes for a year or so) when angry.
—Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 1 Nov. 2023
The benefits of the silent treatment have never been better articulated.
—Chris Willman, Variety, 26 Oct. 2023
In interviews with The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 women alleged Gustin used obscenities while insulting them, humiliated them in front of teammates, gave the silent treatment to some, and threatened to revoke scholarships.
—Eric Walden, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
After weeks of giving Earth the silent treatment, NASA's Voyager 2 spacecraft is once again communicating with mission control from billions of miles away.
—Eric Lagatta, USA TODAY, 7 Aug. 2023
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'the silent treatment.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near the silent treatment
Cite this Entry
“The silent treatment.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/the%20silent%20treatment. Accessed 16 Apr. 2024.
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