quiet
Americanadjective
-
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)
verb (used without object)
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:
Because the creature had adopted such a quiet and stationary way of life, it no longer depended heavily on paired vision.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 26, 2026
Joshua carried the names of Ghami and Ayodele on his chest and walked to the ring alongside his entire team in a quiet show of unity.
From BBC ● Jul. 25, 2026
“I was amazed at how quiet it was,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026
And that distance does something quiet and dangerous: It sets the price of our credulity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
This would quiet her, but then she’d come back to haunt us.
From "The Teacher’s Funeral" by Richard Peck
In her early songs, her singing rarely rose above a whisper, suggesting the quieter and more conversational mode sometimes deployed by two of her other influences, Lorde and Lana Del Rey.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026
He’s been quieter in the World Cup, with just a goal in seven games, but Spain has never lost a match he’s played in, going 21-0-6.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
Some supporters have long campaigned for such a switch, but it could negatively affect the growing neurodivergent fanbase who have become used to the quieter hybrid engines used since 2014.
From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026
Ahead of the ceremonies, AFP correspondents reported that Tehran was quieter than usual, with many normally busy streets free of Tehran's notorious traffic.
From Barron's ● Jul. 3, 2026
She had edged into a stairwell, where things were a little quieter.
From "The Secret History" by Donna Tartt
“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
Existing forecasting methods generally provide less advance notice because scientists must wait until the Sun reaches solar minimum, the quietest part of its cycle.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 21, 2026
Monday was the quietest day for crossings of Hormuz by commodity vessels since June 13, before the preliminary deal briefly boosted traffic through the strait.
From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026
If there’s a song that proves Madonna’s own music is more compelling than any biopic could’ve been, it’s this one — the quietest, most tender cut on the album.
From Salon ● Jul. 8, 2026
It w is the quietest wood you could possibly imagine.
From "The Magician's Nephew" by C. S. Lewis
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
The music quiets, and Nyla walks to the center of the room as the lights come up a bit.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
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
That quieted the restiveness among the ranks for a time, but Johnson has always had to look over his shoulder.
From Salon ● Dec. 14, 2025
When the initial burst of sales quieted down, Crowe—who had quit his job at an art magazine to focus on the venture—looked for new ideas.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 6, 2025
June’s mom called her away too, and after a few hours of doing nothing—Ivy stared at all the dirt-colored water spots on the gym ceiling for she didn’t know how long—the room eventually quieted down.
From "Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World" by Ashley Herring Blake
"This offers a tangible path toward creating a medication that has a similar quieting effect as meditation."
From Science Daily ● Jan. 2, 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
And he did it all while showing defensive mastery of shortstop, quieting a growing narrative that the toll of his new position was curbing his capabilities at the plate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 27, 2025
Throughout his campaign, Cox told me, Zuckerman had downplayed his anti-immigration views, and he had succeeded in quieting his opponents.
From Salon ● Nov. 14, 2024
I was running the thought in circles in my head when I noticed the crowd quieting.
From "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss
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.
