silent

1 of 2

adjective

si·​lent ˈsī-lənt 

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

Synonyms

Adjective

• dumb
• mum
• mute
• muted
• speechless
• uncommunicative
• wordless

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

Guam’s forests fell silent as 10 of the island's 12 forest-dwelling bird species vanished from the wild. —Scott Travers, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2024

Our families back home suffer, their cries for help echoing across borders while the world remains silent. —Niraj Warikoo, Detroit Free Press, 2 Nov. 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

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

Phrases Containing silent

• fell silent
• gives me the silent treatment
• right to remain silent
• silent auction
• silent butler
• silent migraine
• silent partner
• silent service
• silent spreader
• silent spreaders
• silent treatment
• strong, silent types
• the silent majority
• the silent treatment

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 

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