quiet
Americanadjective
-
quieter,
comparative
-
quietest
superlative
-
making no noise or sound, especially no disturbing sound.
quiet neighbors.
-
free, or comparatively free, from noise.
a quiet street.
-
Be quiet!
-
restrained in speech, manner, etc.; saying little.
a quiet person.
-
free from disturbance or tumult; tranquil; peaceful.
a quiet life.
- Antonyms:
- disturbance
-
being at rest.
-
refraining or free from activity, especially busy or vigorous activity.
a quiet Sunday afternoon.
-
making no disturbance or trouble; not turbulent; peaceable.
The factions remained quiet for twenty years.
-
motionless or moving very gently.
quiet waters.
- Synonyms:
- unmoving
- Antonyms:
- active
-
free from disturbing thoughts, emotions, etc.; mentally peaceful.
a quiet conscience.
-
said, expressed, done, etc., in a restrained or unobtrusive way.
a quiet reproach;
a quiet admonition.
-
not showy or obtrusive; subdued.
quiet colors.
-
not busy or active.
The stock market was quiet last week.
verb (used with object)
-
quiets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
quieted,
past participle, past
-
quieting
present participle
verb (used without object)
-
quiets,
present (3rd person singular)
-
quieted,
past participle, past
-
quieting
present participle
noun
-
freedom from noise, unwanted sound, etc..
At least there's quiet here.
- Synonyms:
- silence
-
freedom from disturbance or tumult; tranquility; rest; repose.
This little beach is known for its quiet, but today a rowdy group of tourists is having a clambake.
-
peace; peaceful condition of affairs.
adjective
-
characterized by an absence or near absence of noise
a quiet street
-
characterized by an absence of turbulent motion or disturbance; peaceful, calm, or tranquil
a quiet glade
the sea is quiet tonight
-
free from activities, distractions, worries, etc; untroubled
a quiet life
a quiet day at work
-
marked by an absence of work, orders, etc; not busy
the factory is very quiet at the moment
-
private; not public; secret
a quiet word with someone
-
free from anger, impatience, or other extreme emotion
a quiet disposition
-
free from pretentiousness or vain display; modest or reserved
quiet humour
-
astronomy (of the sun) exhibiting a very low number of sunspots, solar flares, and other surface phenomena; inactive Compare active
noun
-
the state of being silent, peaceful, or untroubled
-
without other people knowing; secretly
verb
Synonym Usage
See still 1.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Adjectives
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
quietsimple
-
quietssimple
-
have quietedperfect
-
has quietedperfect
-
am quietingprogressive
-
are quietingprogressive
-
is quietingprogressive
-
have been quietingperfect progressive
-
has been quietingperfect progressive
Past
-
quietedsimple
-
had quietedperfect
-
was quietingprogressive
-
were quietingprogressive
-
had been quietingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of quiet
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English adjective quiet(e), quite, from Old French quiet, quiete, and Latin quiētus, past participle of quiescere “to rest, rest in sleep, rest from toil”; Middle English verb quieten, partly derivative of the adjective, partly from Late Latin quiētāre “to calm,” derivative of quiētus; see also coy, quiescent
Explanation
To be quiet means you don't make any noise. When you’re trying not to wake a sleeping lion, you will be quiet when you run by it. The versatile quiet, which can be a noun, adjective, or verb (to quiet others), is one of those words that is best understood through its antonyms — loud or hectic. Let a marching band practice in your apartment, and you will long for a little quiet. Quiet is one of those words that thankfully follow the "i" before "e," except after "c" spelling rule.
Vocabulary lists containing quiet
Scrabble: Words that Begin with Q
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Vocabulary Review, Unit 4
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The ceasefire anniversary also marks one year of quiet for Israel from the Gaza front, with no rocket attacks by Hamas.
From Barron's ● Oct. 10, 2026
For six months, she led a quiet, domestic life.
From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026
It has been an exceptionally quiet Atlantic hurricane season, broadly consistent with a strong El Niño, said Barnett, referring to a climate pattern that can lead to warmer weather.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 9, 2026
Winner of the Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, still among the most prestigious prizes any movie can claim, “Fjord” aims for both a quiet, subtle power and the directness of a sledgehammer.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 9, 2026
We’re both quiet then, and she looks around the treehouse.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
“He was quieter, he was thoughtful, he was really smart, more creative. But we thought kids could relate to him.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 7, 2026
In hard-hit Bangkok, schools were closed and authorities urged people to work from home where possible -- a call that many heeded, with roads and public transport networks noticeably quieter.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
A ringing bell, for example, gradually grows quieter until the sound disappears.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 22, 2026
There are quieter songs — “quieter” being relative here — like one of two ballads on the record, “I Am Not Yours To Command.”
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
“But he is in a better place,” continued Hannah: “we shouldn’t wish him here again. And then, nobody need to have a quieter death nor he had.”
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
"The natural shielding provided by the rock creates one of the quietest environments on Earth for detecting extremely rare physical phenomena," says Curceanu.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
America’s quietest lender is now fighting a bond crisis at home, and this week’s Bank of Japan meeting is the tell.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
“Universal says they want to be a good neighbor. They made a big deal about making it the quietest coaster ever. Well, that’s nice, but you can’t put tape over people’s mouths.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
The quietest man in the tournament is the best player in it.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
Ivy hesitates, then lowers her voice to the quietest whisper.
From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton
When 19th Street quiets down around midnight, the party shifts to the Sanchaung area.
From Barron's ● Jun. 12, 2026
If the Iran conflict is resolved and inflation quiets down, the economy could even see another burst of growth.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 28, 2026
Gabapentin quiets nerve firing in the spinal cord and brain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
I think she quiets them because of the responsibility that she has toward her child and of presenting in a certain way.
From New York Times ● Nov. 27, 2024
Soojin whispers to Emily as everyone quickly quiets.
From "Amina's Voice" by Hena Khan
If the Fed held steady anyway, it would revive the doubts about Warsh’s willingness to act that Friday’s speech had quieted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
Even as protests have quieted, repression continues in other forms.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
JPMorgan’s expense guidance “has actually quieted some fears,” Piper Sandler analyst Scott Siefers wrote in a recent client note, citing conversations with investors.
From Barron's ● Jan. 12, 2026
A long-awaited swish finally quieted a restless Phoenix crowd.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 14, 2025
As she touched it the broom jerked a bit, then quieted down, as if it were a frightened cat.
From "Half Upon a Time" by James Riley
"People taking these drugs for obesity often describe a quieting of 'food noise,' the persistent preoccupation with food that drives overeating," Al-Aly said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 2026
Instead of quieting the rumors, it lengthened the story’s time in the news cycle.
From Salon ● Apr. 24, 2026
And yet it is precisely a lack of hyperbole or hysteria—a quieting control, one might say—that makes it so moving.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 31, 2025
But Seattle also closely — and physically — marked Puig, limiting his effectiveness and quieting two of the team’s top four offensive threats.
From Los Angeles Times ● Dec. 1, 2024
My dad uses his favorite term of endearment for my mom—my soul, my life—and pats the air with his palm down, a quieting gesture.
From "Internment" by Samira Ahmed
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
