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:
They get quiet and I’m like “Oh, it’s so scary. Am I doing the right thing?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
“This year’s quiet patch in crypto never reflected a loss of belief in the asset class,” says Nigel Green of deVere Group in a note.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026
Ontario Premier Doug Ford, one of Trump's most prominent critics during the trade war, has so far stayed quiet.
From Barron's ● Aug. 21, 2026
In addition they can mean longer working hours, as they can be used at times when residents demand quiet.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
I had tried to block it out of my mind all week—had thought that if I kept quiet everything would die down, including Ba’s anger.
From "The Red Car to Hollywood" by Jennie Liu
He’s noticed that wildlife is less disturbed by the quieter vehicles.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
He had a quieter 2025-26 campaign, after registering 10 assists the previous season.
From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026
Several residents said the block became noticeably quieter after the business closed and worry another bar would bring back the same problems.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 7, 2026
A bold idea, some flawed early studies, a fierce backlash – and then, years later, a quieter, more careful return to the question.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 7, 2026
Horton’s Hattiesburg barbershop and community hub, too, was getting quieter and quieter.
From "A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919" by Claire Hartfield
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
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
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
So loud, it’s the quietest I’ve ever felt.
From "The Knife of Never Letting Go" by Patrick Ness
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
Safety Kam Curl, whose interception in overtime against the Bears set up the game-winning field goal, noted that the crowd in Seattle quiets when the Seahawks offense is on the field.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026
Gabapentin quiets nerve firing in the spinal cord and brain.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Dec. 25, 2025
Everyone quiets for the final story of a weekly magazine show.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
The group quieted down like scandalized school children.
From Salon ● May 29, 2026
The shop quieted, chairs swiveled, and suddenly everyone was looking at me, at which point I said the one word I’ve never written in any of the last dozen or so Dodger preview columns.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 22, 2026
Though they sometimes escalate into larger-scale military drills, these maneuvers, which once dominated news headlines, quieted to a din as they became routine.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 15, 2026
Even as protests have quieted, repression continues in other forms.
From BBC ● Feb. 6, 2026
The crowd quieted down until the only sound was the reverend’s breathing, amplified by the microphone just inches from him.
From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro
"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
A new report from Politico says President Donald Trump is quieting concerns within the White House around the Department of Government Efficiency head, telling associates that Musk will soon be shown the door.
From Salon ● Apr. 2, 2025
Last month, federal authorities cleared Ohtani of wrongdoing , quieting widespread speculation about the potential fallout of the scandal for his baseball career and potential criminal charges.
From Los Angeles Times ● May 8, 2024
There is nothing for quieting a crowd like announcing that a will has been read.
From "Lizzie Bright and the Buckminster Boy" by Gary D. Schmidt
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.
