silent Hear it!

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silent definition

si·lent (sī′lənt)

adjective

  1. making no vocal sound; not speaking; speechless; mute
  2. seldom speaking; saying little; not talkative
  3. free from, or not making, sound or noise; quiet; still; noiseless
    1. not spoken, uttered, or expressed silent longing
    2. included in the spelling of a word but with no part of the word's pronunciation corresponding directly to it: said of a letter or group of letters silent b in “debt” and gh in “thought”
  5. withholding knowledge or omitting mention; uncommunicative
  6. not active factories silent for months
  7. designating or of films without a synchronized soundtrack
  8. not having noticeable symptoms a silent heart attack

Etymology: L silens < prp. of silere, to be silent, still, prob. < IE base *sē(i)-, *sī-, to rest > seed, side, Goth (ana)silan, to cease (of the wind)

noun

silent films: often preceded by the

Related Forms:

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2005 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

Alternate definitions:

medical silent definition - medical

silent Synonyms

silent

modif.

  1. Without noise

    still, hushed, soundless; see calm 2, quiet 2.

  2. Without speech

    reserved, mute, speechless; see dumb 1.


Webster's New World Roget's A-Z Thesaurus Copyright © 1999 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

silent Usage Examples

Modifying Another Word

  • eerily: Godfrey, Mark and Fred are eerily silent on this issue.

Preposition: for

  • while: The wolf licked her hand, rested his head in her lap and was silent for a while.

Preposition: as

  • grave: But at this stage in its history, the Keep was as silent as the grave.

Modifies a noun

  • vigil: Once in position, there will be a silent vigil at 8pm.

Used with adjective complement

  • remain: The League of Nations remained silent on the invasion.
silent usage examples (more)

The word usage examples above have been gathered from various sources to reflect current and historical usage. They do not represent the opinions of YourDictionary.com.

silent quotes

Coldly, sadly descends The autumn evening. The field Strewn with its dank yellow drifts Of withered leaves, and the elms, Fade into dimness apace, Silent;öhardlya shout From a few boys late at their play!

-Arnold, Matthew

The t is silent, as in Harlow.

-Asquith, Margot

It is not enough to be pause, to be hole to be void, to be silent to be semicolon, to be semicolony; 150

-Brathwaite

silent quotes (more)

Webster's New World Dictionary of Quotations Copyright © 2005 by Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd. All rights reserved. Published by Wiley, Hoboken, NJ. Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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MLA Style

"silent." Webster's New World College Dictionary. 2009

  • Your Dictionary. 5 July 2009
  • <www.yourdictionary.com/silent>

APA Style

silent. (2009). In Webster's New World College Dictionary

  • Retrieved July 5th, 2009, from www.yourdictionary.com/silent

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