silent

1 of 2

adjective

si·​lent ˈsī-lənt How to pronounce silent (audio)
1
a
: making no utterance : not speaking or making noise
He was silent for a full minute, as he often is when answering a hard question.Nick Seitz
They all fell silent, looking rather scared.J. K. Rowling
b
: tending to speak very little : not loquacious
As a former silent person, part of me gravitates to talkers.Georgia Brown
When ABC's promos boast the crime unit portrayed here is not "your father's FBI," it's insinuating that dad's FBI agents were balding, nerdy guys or the stereotypical strong, silent types.Ken Parish Perkins
2
: free from sound or noise : still
The house was eerily silent.
3
: performed or borne without utterance : unspoken
silent prayer
silent grief
4
a
: making no mention
history is silent about this person
b
: not widely or generally known or appreciated
the silent pressures on a person in public office
c
: making no protest or outcry
the silent majority
5
: unpronounced
the silent b in doubt
6
medical
a(1)
: not exhibiting or producing the usual signs or symptoms of presence
silent urinary tract infections
A "silent stroke" has none of the warning signs of a larger stroke: severe headaches, dizziness, loss of motor skills. Often victims do not realize they have had strokes.Alisha Berger
(2)
: relating to or being an infectious disease or pathogen that spreads undetected within a population
Chlamydia can cause fertility problems for women, but is generally asymptomatic, meaning the infection presents no immediate symptoms, said Dr. James Gaskell, health commissioner for the Athens City-County Health Department. As a result, it spreads quickly in dense populations like college campuses, he said. "It's a silent spreader, if you will," Gaskell said.Sam Howard
b
: being, involving, or caused by an asymptomatic or presymptomatic infectious individual
silent spread/transmission of contagious disease
Since a novel coronavirus first made its presence known in China, public health officials around the world have had one fervent hope: That people who are infected but not sick would pass the virus to others only rarely. That would give these silent spreaders no more than a bit part in driving a global outbreak. That hope is in danger of being dashed.Melissa Healy
7
a
: made without spoken dialogue
silent movies
b
: of or relating to silent movies
silently adverb
silentness noun

silent

2 of 2

noun

: a motion picture made without spoken dialogue
usually used in plural
Choose the Right Synonym for silent

silent, taciturn, reticent, reserved, secretive mean showing restraint in speaking.

silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed.

the strong, silent type

taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usually connotes unsociability.

taciturn villagers

reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, especially about one's own affairs.

was reticent about his plans

reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal conversational exchange.

greetings were brief, formal, and reserved

secretive, too, implies reticence but usually carries a suggestion of deviousness and lack of frankness or of an often ostentatious will to conceal.

the secretive research and development division

Examples of silent in a Sentence

Adjective She was silent for a few minutes as she thought about how to answer him. The crowd fell silent as the horrible news was read aloud. My father was a very silent man. He was the strong, silent type. He said he would call me, but the phone was silent all day. A long, silent pause followed her reply.
Recent Examples on the Web
Adjective
But, when the system faces a real crisis, the state’s institutions and would-be protectors go silent. Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 16 Mar. 2024 The courtroom was silent as the jury foreman, a grandfather of three who grew up around guns in the Upper Peninsula and works for a trash company, stood to announce the verdicts. Tresa Baldas, Detroit Free Press, 15 Mar. 2024 Lakers forward Rui Hachimura scored 20 points in 36 minutes against Sacramento but was silent over the last two quarters. Steve Galluzzo, Los Angeles Times, 15 Mar. 2024 For a long time, Middleton was a nearly silent presence. Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 14 Mar. 2024 With barely any drama between the two — aside from what appeared to be some awkwardly silent moments on their getaway to the Dominican Republic — Brittany and Kenneth seemed to be a pretty promising couple. Joelle Goldstein, Peoplemag, 14 Mar. 2024 James Crumbley was silent and shook his head as the jury foreperson read the verdict. Kim Bellware, Washington Post, 14 Mar. 2024 Much louder than typically silent EVs, which suggests that Cadillac may be engaging in some auditory trickery for its electric V-Series. Andrew J. Hawkins, The Verge, 13 Mar. 2024 The tiny company — which has just 11 employees, according to its website — has largely kept silent in the public debate over how generative AI tools could fuel election misinformation around the world. Matt O'Brien, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024
Noun
Chaplin’s run of silents continued into the talkie era. Louis Menand, The New Yorker, 13 Nov. 2023 As American filmmaking was transitioning from silents to sound in the late 1920s, the industry itself was growing more conservative. Hazlitt, 6 Sep. 2023 The Meahers, who own much of the land around Africatown, remain conspicuously off-screen and silent. Vulture, 24 Jan. 2023 So the various greenhouses and whatnots were familiar to Martha-content enthusiasts as the vans quickly took us past the beautiful part of her property toward the far less handsome back end, where a near-silent feeding frenzy was underway. Curbed, 25 Apr. 2022 Unlike at Yankee Stadium, where fans stood in near-silent anticipation each time Judge went to the plate, spectators in Toronto remained seated, for the most part, during his at-bats. David Waldstein, New York Times, 29 Sep. 2022 These fans were on Saraya’s side but went radio silent as soon as her promo veered into pro-woman territory. Alfred Konuwa, Forbes, 10 Nov. 2022 Because the microphone was on, the sound echoed around the theater, which had gone pin-drop silent. Chris Jones, The Atlantic, 13 Oct. 2022 The app can still send audible alerts even if the phone is set to silent. Los Angeles Times, 27 Oct. 2022

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'silent.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

Middle English sylent, from Latin silent-, silens, from present participle of silēre to be silent; akin to Goth anasilan to cease, grow calm

First Known Use

Adjective

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Noun

1929, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of silent was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near silent

Cite this Entry

“Silent.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/silent. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

silent

adjective
si·​lent
ˈsī-lənt
1
: not speaking
stood silent before the court
2
: tending not to say much
a very silent person
3
: free from sound or noise : still
4
: done or felt without speaking
silent reading
silent grief
5
a
: making no mention
history is silent about this incident
b
: not active in running a business
a silent partner
6
: not pronounced
silent "e" in "came"
the "b" in "doubt" is silent
7
: made without recorded sound
silent movies
silently adverb

Medical Definition

silent

adjective
si·​lent ˈsī-lənt How to pronounce silent (audio)
1
: not exhibiting or producing the usual signs or symptoms of presence
a silent urinary tract infection
silent gallstones
silent ischemia
2
: relating to or being an infectious disease or pathogen that spreads undetected within a population
Chlamydia can cause fertility problems for women, but is generally asymptomatic, meaning the infection presents no immediate symptoms, said Dr. James Gaskell, health commissioner for the Athens City-County Health Department. As a result, it spreads quickly in dense populations like college campuses, he said. "It's a silent spreader, if you will, Gaskell said.Sam Howard
3
: being, involving, or caused by an asymptomatic or presymptomatic infectious individual
silent spread/transmission of infectious disease
silent spreaders of contagious disease
4
: yielding no detectable response to stimulation
used especially of an association area of the brain
silent cortex
5
: having no detectable function or effect
silent DNA
silent genes
silently adverb

Legal Definition

silent

adjective
si·​lent
1
: making no utterance : resolved not to speak especially about a certain topic
the right to remain silent
2
: making no mention or account : omitting explanation and leaving questions unanswered
a criminal statute silent as to the requirement of intent
3
: taking no active part in the conduct of a business
a silent member of a firm
see also silent partner at partner

More from Merriam-Webster on silent

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