quietude
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of quietude
First recorded in 1590–1600; from Late Latin quiētūdō, equivalent to Latin quiētus quiet + -tūdō -tude
Explanation
Your mother has probably more than once asked you for quietude even if she hasn't used the word. Quietude means a state of peace and quiet. It goes hand in hand with solitude. Quietude is a word that is used less and less, as we seem to have less time and space for it. A park used to be a good place to find quietude, but with cell phones, you're likely to begin chatting even when no one else is around. If you really want quietude, you might try a library, or a chapel. Meditation can be used to bring you a moment of quietude wherever you are. Try it now. Ohhhmmm. Ohhhmmm. Ohhhmmm.
Vocabulary lists containing quietude
40 SAT words Beginning with "Q"
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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The Mayor of Casterbridge
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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.
Rose lives in Tecopa, population 120, among people who’ve chosen the isolation, quietude, natural beauty and brutal conditions on purpose.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Sawai demonstrates how a performance made of subtle emotional expression, minimal physical movement, and quietude steadily ramps up to the tour de force ninth episode, “Crimson Sky.”
From Salon ● Apr. 17, 2024
A modernist sculptor acclaimed — perhaps mistakenly — for her work’s quietude, Asawa wove sublimely delicate hanging forms out of nested lobes of looped wire.
From New York Times ● Sep. 14, 2023
If you seek quietude, this is the hike for you.
From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2023
I could imagine her tramping through the rooms, perhaps paying sixpence for admission, ripping the quietude with her sharp, staccato laugh.
From "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
