1
as in stillness
incapacity for or restraint from speaking
the violinist expects complete silence from the audience during his concerts
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in quiet
the near or complete absence of sound
the silence of the garden was refreshing after the din of the party inside
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3
as in obscurity
the quality or state of being mostly or completely unknown
the book eventually vanished into the silence that awaits best sellers whose time has past
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in to quiet
to stop the noise or speech of
the instructor quickly silenced anyone who tried to interrupt we need to have a repairman come and silence that door alarm
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2
as in to suppress
to put a stop to (something) by the use of force
brutally silenced all political dissent in the country
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Examples Sentences
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Recent Examples of silence
Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Dec. 2024
After two weeks of silence, Welch spoke out on Friday about her commitment to help those who have lost money.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 24 Dec. 2024
On December 3, in an apparent attempt to crush his political opposition and silence his wife’s critics, Yoon declared martial law.
—Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for silence 
Noun
One of the country’s top soccer teams, Bayern Munich, observed a minute of silence at a match on Friday evening against Leipzig in solidarity with the victims of the massacre.
—Ross O'Keefe, Washington Examiner - Political News and Conservative Analysis About Congress, the President, and the Federal Government, 21 Dec. 2024
After two weeks of silence, Welch spoke out on Friday about her commitment to help those who have lost money.
—Lily Ford, The Hollywood Reporter, 20 Dec. 2024
Verb
Making space for safe exchange, discussion, free expression of thought is what is humane and should always be encouraged, not silenced.
—George Nelson, ARTnews.com, 24 Dec. 2024
On December 3, in an apparent attempt to crush his political opposition and silence his wife’s critics, Yoon declared martial law.
—Victor Cha, The Atlantic, 20 Dec. 2024
See all Example Sentences for silence
Recent Examples of Synonyms for silence
Noun
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In the quiet of the nearby waiting room, Jerry and Lisa prayed and worried.Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press, 19 Nov. 2024
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Katie Ledecky’s Gold Medal Mind-Set Bidens Border Crackdown Could Disproportionately Affect Families Israeli news outlets break the quiet of the Sabbath to cover the release of four hostages.New York Times, New York Times, 8 June 2024
Noun
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The resurgence in interest – not to mention monetary value – suggests that the technology is resilient and unlikely to simply fade into obscurity, as was predicted during its slump.Bernard Marr, Forbes, 9 Dec. 2024
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Georgescu, who had reportedly declared zero campaign spending, had catapulted from obscurity to win the first round of the presidential vote on Nov. 24.Laura Kelly, The Hill, 6 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Back then, Mason was the kind of person who got excited about camera placement on a mountain to capture just the right shot as a downhill ski racer shushed past.Steven Zeitchik, The Hollywood Reporter, 18 Nov. 2024
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Other players use this tactic too, including Djokovic’s friend Nick Kyrgios (on many occasions), Sebastian Korda at this year’s Italian Open in Rome, and Taylor Fritz, who shushed an entire stadium after beating Frenchman Arthur Rinderknech at Roland Garros in 2023.Charlie Eccleshare, The Athletic, 13 July 2024
Verb
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His beautiful, distant mother, played by the French-Argentinean actress Bérénice Bejo, treats these outbursts as insurrections to be suppressed.Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker, 13 Dec. 2024
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Harry is doing his best to keep Dexter from killing people, though Dex acknowledges that slicing into cadavers and taking hunting trips aren’t really cutting it in terms of suppressing his urges.Louis Peitzman, Vulture, 13 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Now, the iceberg has broken free of this watery cage and is floating northeast in the direction of South Georgia Island, where it is expected to break up and melt into oblivion.Gord Magill, Newsweek, 20 Dec. 2024
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Memory that by some arcane law tends to send important things spinning beyond its boundaries into oblivion, while fervently cherishing something insignificant and accidental.Andriy Sodomora (Tr. Sabrina Jaszi & Roman Ivashkiv), The Dial, 12 Dec. 2024
Verb
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Over the past few years, it’s been mostly impossible to see Bob Dylan perform anywhere in America besides dark, hushed theaters where ushers dive on anyone that dares to take to a phone for even a split second.Andy Greene, Rolling Stone, 25 Dec. 2024
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Every night the lamb would cry, and be told to hush, for its bleats disturbed their sleep.Karen Zautyk, New York Daily News, 24 Dec. 2024
Verb
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The incident made national headlines, but did little to quell tensions in Portland.Kale Williams, Axios, 18 Dec. 2024
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Feds try to tamp down worries about drone sightings Federal authorities sought to quell concerns about drone sightings in New Jersey and other states, as President-elect Donald Trump spoke out and lawmakers proposed the deployment of drone-tracking devices.Elizabeth Robinson, NBC News, 17 Dec. 2024
Noun
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Advertisement The people were not authorized to publicly discuss details of the case and spoke on the condition of anonymity.Jake Offenhartz, Los Angeles Times, 19 Dec. 2024
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The official spoke on the condition of anonymity as the person was not authorized to discuss Israel’s aerial campaign in Syria.Chantal Da Silva, NBC News, 16 Dec. 2024
Thesaurus Entries Near silence
Cite this Entry
“Silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silence. Accessed 31 Dec. 2024.
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