silent

[ sahy-luhnt ]

See synonyms for: silent silents silently on Thesaurus.com

adjective

making no sound; quiet; still: a silent motor.
refraining from speech.

speechless; mute.
not inclined to speak; taciturn; reticent.
characterized by absence of speech or sound: a silent prayer.
unspoken; tacit: a silent assent.
omitting mention of something, as in a narrative: The records are silent about this crime.
inactive or quiescent, as a volcano.
not sounded or pronounced: The “b” in “doubt” is a silent letter.
Movies. not having spoken dialogue or a soundtrack.
Medicine/Medical. producing no symptoms: silent gallstones.

noun

Usually silents. silent films.

Origin of silent

First recorded in1555–65; from Latin silent-, stem of silēns “being quiet,” present participle of silēre “to be quiet”; akin to Old English sālnes “silence”

synonym study For silent

1. See still¹.

Other words for silent

1	soundless
8	dormant

See synonyms for silent on Thesaurus.com

Opposites for silent

1	noisy
4	talkative

See antonyms for silent on Thesaurus.com

Other words from silent

si·lent·ly, adverb
si·lent·ness, noun
o·ver·si·lent, adjective
o·ver·si·lent·ly, adverb
o·ver·si·lent·ness, noun
su·per·si·lent, adjective
su·per·si·lent·ly, adverb
un·si·lent, adjective
un·si·lent·ly, adverb

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

How to use silent in a sentence

Potts is sharing her first-hand account in an episode that underscores the intense pressure on victims of sexual harassment to stay silent and the high price of reporting the bad behavior of a powerful man.
The Woman Propositioned by Alaska’s Former Lieutenant Governor Tells Her Story for the First Time | by Kyle Hopkins and Michelle Theriault Boots, Anchorage Daily News | September 10, 2020 | ProPublica
The Big Night Out features casino games, cocktails, silent disco, auction, and DJs as well as a host committee made up by millennials.
How nonprofits are catering to millennials and rethinking the charity gala for younger generations | Rachel King | September 7, 2020 | Fortune
The Republican leaders who stood with the Jewish community against hate last year have been silent to condemn it from their party chair, and that silence is deafening.
Republicans’ Relative Silence on Krvaric Video Is Deafening | Jacob Mandel | September 1, 2020 | Voice of San Diego
Meanwhile, an entire sector of “Christian” leaders has not only stood silent, they have actively encouraged mass gathering without masks.
Anti-maskers assaulted my husband | Matt Foreman | September 1, 2020 | Washington Blade
I hope that the silent majority will come out in numbers like they did in 2016 and give him a decisive victory.
Full Transcript: Tomi Lahren on ‘The Carlos Watson Show’ | Daniel Malloy | August 31, 2020 | Ozy

Instead, black models are required to remain meekly, silently off stage, waiting for a turn that may never come.
One Vogue Cover Doesn’t Solve Fashion’s Big Race Problem | Danielle Belton | January 2, 2015 | THE DAILY BEAST
At the end of the hearing Gruber walked out silently, surrounded by cameras and accompanied by his lawyer.
Obamacare Architect: I Wanted to Sound Smart | Ben Jacobs | December 9, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Yasin silently drew the string of his bow and let loose an arrow.
Inside The Growing Organic Halal Movement | Sharon Adarlo | September 7, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
Deprived of amplification, he silently stripped down and collapsed onstage.
America’s Poets: Battle Rap Gets Real | Rich Goldstein | July 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
They marched silently in twos behind him as he drove a heavily loaded wagon pulled by one horse.
When Robert E. Lee Met John Brown and Saved the Union | Michael Korda | May 15, 2014 | THE DAILY BEAST
For a moment Joe stood behind her, silently, looking over her shoulder at the signature of Isom Chase.
The Bondboy | George W. (George Washington) Ogden
"To R——," replied the man, as he turned silently and sullenly to retrace his steps.
Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 60, No. 372, October 1846 | Various
She lit another cigarette, and for a few moments looked silently out of the window at the darkening woods beyond the lawn.
Ancestors | Gertrude Atherton
Here Mr. Samuel Weller, who had silently eaten his oysters with tranquil smiles, cried “Hear!”
The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club, v. 2(of 2) | Charles Dickens
They walked silently down the lane together, Gilbert sullen and mortified, Dorothy pitying but resolute.
The World Before Them | Susanna Moodie

British Dictionary definitions for silent

silent

/ (ˈsaɪlənt) /

adjective

characterized by an absence or near absence of noise or sound: a silent house
tending to speak very little or not at all

unable to speak
failing to speak, communicate, etc, when expected: the witness chose to remain silent
not spoken or expressed: silent assent
not active or in operation: a silent volcano
(of a letter) used in the conventional orthography of a word but no longer pronounced in that word: the ``k'' in ``know'' is silent
denoting a film that has no accompanying soundtrack, esp one made before 1927, when such soundtracks were developed

noun

a silent film

Origin of silent

C16: from Latin silēns, from silēre to be quiet

Derived forms of silent

silently, adverb
silentness, noun

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

Scientific definitions for silent

silent

[ sī′lənt ]

Relating to a mutation that changes a nucleotide in a codon without a difference in the amino acid for which it is coded. See more at point mutation.
Producing no detectable signs or symptoms, as a medical condition such as heart attack.

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