quiet

[ kwahy-it ]

/ ˈkwaɪ ɪt /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for: quiet / quieted / quieter / quietest on Thesaurus.com

adjective, qui·et·er, qui·et·est.

making no noise or sound, especially no disturbing sound: quiet neighbors.

free, or comparatively free, from noise: a quiet street.

silent (def. 1): Be quiet!

restrained in speech, manner, etc.; saying little: a quiet person.

free from disturbance or tumult; tranquil; peaceful: a quiet life.

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.

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)

to make quiet.

to make tranquil or peaceful; pacify: to quiet a crying baby.

to calm mentally, as a person.

to allay (tumult, doubt, fear, etc.).

to silence.

verb (used without object)

to become quiet (often followed by down).

noun

freedom from noise, unwanted sound, etc.: At least there's quiet here.

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.

OTHER WORDS FOR quiet

5 calm, serene.

9 unmoving.

14 still, hush, silence.

15, 17 lull, soothe.

20 silence.

21 calm, stillness.

See synonyms for quiet on Thesaurus.com

OPPOSITES FOR quiet

2 noisy.

5 perturbed.

9 active.

20 noise.

21 disturbance.

See antonyms for quiet on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

WILL YOU SAIL OR STUMBLE ON THESE GRAMMAR QUESTIONS?

Smoothly step over to these common grammar mistakes that trip many people up. Good luck!

Question 1 of 7

Fill in the blank: I can’t figure out _____ gave me this gift.

who

whom

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

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

synonym study for quiet

2. See still¹.

OTHER WORDS FROM quiet

qui·et·er, nounqui·et·ly, adverbqui·et·ness, nounun·qui·et·ed, adjective

un·qui·et·ing, adjective

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quiet

1. quiescent, quiet 2. quiet , quit, quite3. quietness , quietude

Words nearby quiet

quidnunc, quid pro quo, quiescence, quiescent, quiescent tank, quiet, quiet as a mouse, quieten, quietism, quietly, Quiet Revolution

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use quiet in a sentence

Ford labels “Engage” as the normal drive mode, while “Whisper” is the quiet mode where the car produces less of the artificial “engine noise” that tells the driver what’s happening with the drivetrain.
Ford’s electric Mustang Mach-E is an important leap into the future|Dan Carney|February 12, 2021|Popular-Science
Glass beads are washable, quiet, and tend to retain less heat than plastic, which is great for hot sleepers.
Best weighted blanket: Sleep like a baby with our comfy bedding picks|PopSci Commerce Team|February 12, 2021|Popular-Science
In this recording of a fin whale’s song in 2012, sped up 10 times, each loud call is followed by a series of quieter echoes.
Fin whale songs can reveal hidden features of the ocean floor|Carolyn Gramling|February 11, 2021|Science News
After a quiet period, the last three months of 2020 saw yet another sharp rise as the currency’s value more than tripled—and it’s still climbing.
Bitcoin’s Blowing Up, and That’s Good News for Human Rights. Here’s Why|Vanessa Bates Ramirez|February 10, 2021|Singularity Hub

When we were kids, my mother loved the movie Mortal Kombat, so I remember me and my brother playing in our room and it’s dead quiet.
Dulcé Sloan on Where She Gets Her Funny From|Joshua Eferighe|February 9, 2021|Ozy
When Marvin tells this story, he gets quiet, and you can see the way it must have been.
The Story Behind Lee Marvin’s Liberty Valance Smile|Robert Ward|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST
What, I suspect, we really want from Santa is peace (and quiet) at home for the holidays.
Santa Fails One More Time|P. J. O’Rourke|December 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
They made quiet plans together, saying that when they had a child together, they wanted a girl called Grace.
A Sunni-Shia Love Story Imperiled by al Qaeda|Ruth Michaelson|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The inauguration had to be held in the fortified Kremlin, surrounded by an eerily quiet city.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But shh shhh shh, you have to be quiet about it or they will make me take it off.
A Field General in the War on Christmas|David Freedlander|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This Captain Kirton was really the best of the Kirton bunch: a quiet, unassuming young man, somewhat delicate in health.
Elster's Folly|Mrs. Henry Wood
Their discipline is admirable, but their natural disposition is likewise quiet and inoffensive.
Glances at Europe|Horace Greeley
It is the quiet chef lieu of the Allier, and was once the capital of the Bourbonnais.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846|Various
The menace of a thunder-cloud approached as in his childhood's dream; disaster lurked behind the quiet outer show.
The Wave|Algernon Blackwood
He went blindly down the street, turned at the corner and sought a quiet place, a livery barn.
The Homesteader|Oscar Micheaux

British Dictionary definitions for quiet

quiet

/ (ˈkwaɪət) /

adjective

characterized by an absence or near absence of noisea quiet street

characterized by an absence of turbulent motion or disturbance; peaceful, calm, or tranquila quiet glade; the sea is quiet tonight

free from activities, distractions, worries, etc; untroubleda quiet life; a quiet day at work

marked by an absence of work, orders, etc; not busythe factory is very quiet at the moment

private; not public; secreta quiet word with someone

free from anger, impatience, or other extreme emotiona quiet disposition

free from pretentiousness or vain display; modest or reservedquiet humour

astronomy (of the sun) exhibiting a very low number of sunspots, solar flares, and other surface phenomena; inactiveCompare active (def. 8)

noun

the state of being silent, peaceful, or untroubled

on the quiet without other people knowing; secretly

verb

a less common word for quieten

Derived forms of quiet

quietness, noun

Word Origin for quiet

C14: from Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere to rest, from quiēs repose, rest

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with quiet

quiet

In addition to the idiom beginning with quiet

quiet as a mouse

also see:

keep quiet
peace and quiet

quiet

OTHER WORDS FOR quiet

OPPOSITES FOR quiet

Origin of quiet

synonym study for quiet

OTHER WORDS FROM quiet

WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH quiet

Words nearby quiet

Words related to quiet

How to use quiet in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for quiet

Derived forms of quiet

Word Origin for quiet

Other Idioms and Phrases with quiet