silent treatment
Americannoun
Etymology
Origin of silent treatment
First recorded in 1945–50
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.
Polite formalities did not return at the toss, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha giving each other the silent treatment.
From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026
‘He thinks nothing of spending $40K on a new car’: My husband gives me the silent treatment.
From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025
As his teammates continued to give him the silent treatment, Ohtani raised his arms and waved them.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 12, 2024
On their long car ride back from Washington, she gave him the silent treatment, talking to him only through their eldest son.
From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2023
Why I was in the doghouse was clear enough, but God knows why Mum and Dad were giving each other the silent treatment.
From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell
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.
