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.
“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
“I’m not really understanding what the silent treatment is,” Drescher said.
From Seattle Times ● Aug. 24, 2023
When they fight, he gives her the silent treatment.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
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.
