mute

[myoot]

adjective

muter, mutest 

1. silent; refraining from speech or utterance.

   Antonyms: talkative

2. not emitting or having sound of any kind.

3. incapable of speech (offensive when applied to humans).

   Animals are mute and are only able to speak in fairy tales and fables.

4. (of letters) silent; not pronounced.

   The mute “e” in the word “dime” makes the preceding vowel long, so it is not pronounced like “dim.”

5. Law.,  (of a person who has been arraigned) making no plea or giving an irrelevant response when arraigned, or refusing to stand trial (used chiefly in the phraseto stand mute ).

6. Fox Hunting.,  (of a hound) hunting a line without giving tongue or cry.

noun

1. Offensive.,  a person incapable of speech.

2. an actor whose part is confined to dumb show.

3. Law.,  a person who stands mute when arraigned.

4. Also called sordino. a mechanical device of various shapes and materials for muffling the tone of a musical instrument.

5. Phonetics.,  (especially in older use) stop.

6. British Obsolete.,  a hired mourner at a funeral; a professional mourner.

verb (used with object)

muted, muting 

1. to deaden or muffle the sound of.

   The music was a little muted by distance and the trees.

2. to turn off (a microphone, a speaker, or audio).

   During the commercials, they muted the TV and discussed the game.

   Check the mic icon to make sure you're not muted.

3. to reduce the intensity of (a color) by the addition of another color.

4. to soften or subdue; moderate.

   His happiness about returning to the United States was muted by his concern for the other hostages.

mute

¹

/ mjuːt /

adjective

1. not giving out sound or speech; silent

2. unable to speak; dumb

3. unspoken or unexpressed

   mute dislike

4. law (of a person arraigned on indictment) refusing to answer a charge

5. phonetics another word for plosive

6. (of a letter in a word) silent

noun

1. a person who is unable to speak

2. law a person who refuses to plead when arraigned on indictment for an offence

3. any of various devices used to soften the tone of stringed or brass instruments

4. phonetics a plosive consonant; stop

5. a silent letter

6. an actor in a dumb show

7. a hired mourner at a funeral

verb

1. to reduce the volume of (a musical instrument) by means of a mute, soft pedal, etc

2. to subdue the strength of (a colour, tone, lighting, etc)

mute

²

/ mjuːt /

verb

1. (of birds) to discharge (faeces)

noun

1. birds' faeces

Usage

Using this word to refer to people without speech is considered outdated and offensive and should be avoided. The phrase profoundly deaf is a suitable alternative in many contexts

Sensitive Note

See dumb.

Other Word Forms

• mutely adverb
• muteness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mute¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English muet, mewet, muwet, from Old French müet, muet, diminutive formation of Old French mu, from Latin mūtus “dumb, inarticulate”; -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of mute¹

C14: muwet from Old French mu, from Latin mūtus silent

Origin of mute²

C15: from Old French meutir, variant of esmeltir, of Germanic origin; probably related to _smelt ¹ and _melt

Example Sentences

But it was met with a more muted reception from US critics, with the New York Times calling it "a misguided attempt to resuscitate the show" while also conceding it was "buzzy".

From BBC

Gaga collected four awards on the night including artist of the year, fending off competition from Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Bad Bunny and Kendrick Lamar who were all absent from this year's slightly muted event.

From BBC

Of course, the new dawn I’m talking about was just last spring: The tide was turning, or so it seemed, and muted celebrations broke out among the better-informed liberal classes.

From Salon

But the mayor has since been measured and muted in her pushback against the administration.

From Salon

The film mutes the Black stranger’s grousing about inequality and the government’s warmongering because Forrest, in military dress, must save Jenny from the dirty hippie.

From Salon

Related Words

• dampen 
• soften 
• subdue