silent treatment

NOUN

ignoring of another

Synonyms

WEAK

blackballing cold shoulder ignore someone ignoring ostracism ostracization sending to Coventry

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We don’t like confrontation, in daily life at least, and we are masters of the silent treatment, hidden meanings and passive aggression.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

About times he’d argued with his wife and given her the silent treatment.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025

"I was on probation, I didn't know this person. I thought he might make my life hard at work, that he might give me the silent treatment," she said.

From BBC • Dec. 13, 2024

“I’m not really understanding what the silent treatment is,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher told The Associated Press last week.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 29, 2023

Why I was in the doghouse was clear enough, but God knows why Mum and Dad were giving each other the silent treatment.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell