hushed

American  

[huhsht] / hʌʃt /

adjective

1. (of speech) deliberately quiet, especially when silence is prudent, respectful, or requested.

   Only an occasional whisper could be heard among our hushed voices.

2. (of a place or situation) having a calm silence, often because those in attendance are being respectful or are waiting to hear something: sitting nervously in the hushed courtroom.

   the hushed galleries of a museum;

   sitting nervously in the hushed courtroom.

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Other Word Forms

• hushedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of hushed

First recorded in 1600–10; hush ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

To the uninitiated, cross-country skiing looks like a graceful, rhythmic activity set against a hushed winter landscape.

From The Wall Street Journal

All that crackling pressure on one athlete, the hushed ooooooohhs from the rafters, all of it.

From The Wall Street Journal

"Right now I think we just need something positive," the 38-year-old Black woman and Virginia native told AFP moments later in a hushed voice.

From Barron's

She spoke quietly, but it was the kind of voice that people hushed themselves to hear.

From Literature

There’s something so deeply satisfying about the hushed sharing of information.

From Literature

Related Words

• muted