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:
It feels like a faux pas, to be that forward-thinking, and to be saying the quiet part out loud!
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 4, 2026
On a recent Tuesday morning, the brewery was quiet and closed to customers.
From Salon ● Oct. 4, 2026
The eerily quiet season continues and with just two months left, there is an increasing possibility that no hurricanes will develop at all.
From BBC ● Oct. 2, 2026
But the program helped where my cocktail of hormones couldn’t, giving me tools and practices to quiet my mind.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
We’re quiet for a minute, and Avery gulps down the rest of her juice.
From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison
Over time, they may help push a galaxy toward a quieter state with much lower levels of star formation.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 30, 2026
In hard-hit Bangkok, schools were closed and authorities urged people to work from home where possible -- a call that many heeded, with roads and public transport networks noticeably quieter.
From Barron's ● Sep. 28, 2026
There are quieter songs — “quieter” being relative here — like one of two ballads on the record, “I Am Not Yours To Command.”
From Salon ● Sep. 22, 2026
The decision to sell came years after Seyfried and Sadoski made a major lifestyle change, swapping Los Angeles for a quieter existence on their sprawling farm in upstate New York.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 22, 2026
Even as infants, Florida was the squirmy one, and Dallas the quieter, dreamier one.
From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech
"The natural shielding provided by the rock creates one of the quietest environments on Earth for detecting extremely rare physical phenomena," says Curceanu.
From Science Daily ● Sep. 21, 2026
For this attempt, Navratil picked late Sunday afternoon as the usually busy spot would be at its quietest and warmest.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 8, 2026
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
The quietest man in the tournament is the best player in it.
From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2026
What followed was the quietest dinner we’d ever had.
From "The Epic Fail of Arturo Zamora" by Pablo Cartaya
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
“So today was good. And hopefully it quiets the noise a little bit with the days that he pitches.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 22, 2025
I glance around as the crowd quiets, an expectant hush in the air.
From "Warcross" by Marie Lu
If the Fed held steady anyway, it would revive the doubts about Warsh’s willingness to act that Friday’s speech had quieted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 30, 2026
As they looked around the sage and monkeyflower-lined path, their chatter quieted, and soon, they were writing poetry.
From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 9, 2026
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
But after the first few days, when things quieted down, he wanted to go and find them, and that is when the fight began.
From "Z for Zachariah" by Robert C. O’Brien
"People taking these drugs for obesity often describe a quieting of 'food noise,' the persistent preoccupation with food that drives overeating," Al-Aly said.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 3, 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. 4, 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
They walked carefully through the field, the shushrooms quieting their steps.
From "Witchlings" by Claribel A. Ortega
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.
