silent

/ˈsaɪlənt/
/ˈsaɪlənt/
IPA guide

Other forms: silenter; silentest

If something is silent, it is completely quiet. After your noisy houseguests leave, you'll probably enjoy being all alone in your silent house.

Sometimes a silent reading period in a third grade class truly is silent — and other times, the sound of soft giggling can be heard. People are silent when they don't speak, and a silent film has no soundtrack. You might exchange a silent message with your best friend without using words, just by raising your eyebrows or shrugging your shoulders. The Latin root of silent is silere, "be quiet or still."

Definitions of silent
  1. adjective
    marked by absence of sound
    “a silent house”
    synonyms: soundless, still
    quiet
    free of noise or uproar; or making little if any sound
  2. adjective
    failing to speak or communicate etc when expected to
    “the witness remained silent”
    synonyms: mum
    incommunicative, uncommunicative
    not inclined to talk or give information or express opinions
  3. adjective
    unable to speak because of hereditary deafness
    synonyms: dumb, mute
    inarticulate, unarticulate
    without or deprived of the use of speech or words
  4. adjective
    implied by or inferred from actions or statements
    “gave silent consent”
    synonyms: tacit, understood
    implicit, inexplicit
    implied though not directly expressed; inherent in the nature of something
  5. adjective
    not made to sound
    “the silent `h' at the beginning of `honor'”
    synonyms: unsounded
    inaudible, unhearable
    impossible to hear; imperceptible by the ear
  6. adjective
    having a frequency below or above the range of human audibility
    “a silent dog whistle”
    synonyms:
    inaudible, unhearable
    impossible to hear; imperceptible by the ear
Pronunciation
US
/ˈsaɪlənt/
UK
/ˈsaɪlənt/
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DISCLAIMER: These example sentences appear in various news sources and books to reflect the usage of the word ‘silent'. Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Vocabulary.com or its editors. Send us feedback
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