silent treatment

American

noun

an act or instance of maintaining silence or aloofness toward another person, especially as a means of indicating disapproval or rejection.

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.

“For a day or two, she’d give us the silent treatment, and then we’d all fall back into the form of a life trying to make ends meet,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

He’s used to giving me the silent treatment whenever there is conflict and he’s improved, but there is still a huge divide between what we have and what I, and most people, think is healthy.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

He did not want to speak after Saturday's round, but he did and in so doing broke his silent treatment of the media.

From BBC • Jun. 16, 2025

PSG supporters kept protesting at Parc des Princes by giving their team the silent treatment.

From Seattle Times • Apr. 28, 2024

Daisy had put me through the silent treatment several times in my life, and I didn’t like it at all.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023