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.

“For a day or two, she’d give us the silent treatment, and then we’d all fall back into the form of a life trying to make ends meet,” he wrote.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 15, 2026

‘He thinks nothing of spending $40K on a new car’: My husband gives me the silent treatment.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 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

On their long car ride back from Washington, she gave him the silent treatment, talking to him only through their eldest son.

From Seattle Times • Nov. 19, 2023

At least she’s not giving me the silent treatment anymore.

From "A Mango-Shaped Space" by Wendy Mass