hushed
Americanadjective
-
(of speech) deliberately quiet, especially when silence is prudent, respectful, or requested.
Only an occasional whisper could be heard among our hushed voices.
-
(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.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of hushed
First recorded in 1600–10; hush ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing hushed
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.
She remembers feeling "something was not right" and describes the theatre room as hushed, with "no one was really talking" until "an alarm went off".
From BBC • May 11, 2026
"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 • Feb. 3, 2026
After speaking in a hushed tone, Gamboa testified, Oropeza hung up, turned to Reyna and said, “Go handle that.”
From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 29, 2026
Mr. Bryan’s brooding inward focus and hushed vocal phrasing align him more closely with indie-rock and confessional artists from years past, and he finds the country label limiting.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 13, 2026
The campus seemed deserted—everyone was at the party, I supposed—and the green lawn, the gaudy tulips, were hushed and expectant beneath the overcast sky.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
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.
