silence

[sahy-luhns] / ˈsaɪ ləns /

NOUN

absence of sound, speech

Synonyms

STRONGEST

blackout calm lull peace quiet reticence secrecy stillness

STRONG

censorship death dumbness hush laconism muteness noiselessness quiescence quietness quietude reserve sleep speechlessness still sulk sullenness taciturnity uncommunicativeness

WEAK

dead air hush-hush inarticulateness iron curtain saturninity

Antonyms

STRONGEST

agitation

WEAK

clamor communication noise talk

VERB

make or be quiet

Synonyms

STRONGEST

cut off gag muffle mute muzzle quash quell squelch stifle subdue suppress

STRONG

clam dampen deaden dull extinguish hush lull overawe quiet quieten shush soft pedal still tongue-tie

WEAK

choke off clam up close up cool it cut short decrease the volume dry up dumb dummy up hold one's tongue hush one's mouth hush-hush keep it down pipe down quiet down say nothing shut up sit on strike dumb

Antonyms

STRONGEST

allow encourage help let go permit release start

WEAK

be noisy communicate talk

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.

So the key was to absorb that pressure and silence the fans a bit.

From BBC

She's not looking for silence, but uses music to find her calm.

From BBC

We see it across modern life: People repeat things they don’t believe, the slogans replace honest conversation, and silence is mistaken for agreement.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the end, Kalven’s loophole ensures that universities will always be saying something—about their mission, if nothing else—even when they maintain the institutional silence the Kalven Report has become so famous for recommending.

From The Wall Street Journal

Hundreds gathered in silence in the freezing night in Crans-Montana on Thursday evening, laying flowers and lighting candles to remember those killed and injured in a horrific blaze as they celebrated the New Year.

From Barron's

silence

Example Sentences

Related Words