Silence
Total auditory void
Silence is the absence of sound, or the state of not speaking.
A moment of silence honors the dead.
To silence someone is to make them stop talking or to suppress their voice: The regime silenced its critics.
Silence can be heavy, awkward, or golden—the proverb silence is golden suggests that saying nothing is often wiser than speaking.
Her silence spoke louder than words.
Inability to speak
- taciturnityDisinclined to speak
- reticenceHabitual verbal restraint
- reserveSupply kept back
- mutenessInability to speak
tight-lipped · unspoken · wordlessness · omission · withholding · discretion · secrecy · evasion
Lacking in sound
- stillnessComplete lack of motion
- hushAbsence of sound
- soundlessnessTotal absence of noise
- noiselessnessQuality of being soundless
calm · peace · tranquility · void · vacuum · muteness · dead air · lull
Focused attention practice
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- solitudeState of being alone
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
- mindfulnessAwareness of the present
retreat · monastery · ashram · zen · vipassana · prayer · centering · stillness
Cessation of activity
- pauseTemporary cessation of activity
- fermataSustained note symbol
- tacetMusical silence notation
- caesuraPause within a line
beat · measure · notation · score · interlude · break · space · timing
Official content restriction
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- gag orderCourt-imposed speech restriction
- muzzlingRestraining the mouth
- repressionUnconscious blocking of thoughts
stifling · voicelessness · erasure · marginalization · intimidation · cover-up · blackout · omerta
Preventing noise transmission
- insulationThermal transfer prevention
- dampeningReducing or wetting slightly
- absorptionProcess of taking in
- mufflingReducing sound intensity
deadening · anechoic · noise-canceling · padding · isolation · baffling · decibel · threshold
speechlessness
Inability to speak
- taciturnityDisinclined to speak
- reticenceHabitual verbal restraint
- reserveSupply kept back
muteness · tight-lipped · unspoken · wordlessness · omission · withholding · discretion · secrecy · evasion · stonewalling
quiet
Lacking in sound
- stillnessComplete lack of motion
- hushAbsence of sound
- soundlessnessTotal absence of noise
noiselessness · calm · peace · tranquility · void · vacuum · muteness · dead air · lull · pause
meditation
Focused attention practice
- reflectionReturned light or thought
- solitudeState of being alone
- introspectionObserving one's own mind
mindfulness · retreat · monastery · ashram · zen · vipassana · prayer · centering · stillness · inner peace
rest
Cessation of activity
caesura · beat · measure · notation · score · interlude · break · space · timing · rhythm
censorship
Official content restriction
- suppressionForcible prevention or concealment
- gag orderCourt-imposed speech restriction
- muzzlingRestraining the mouth
repression · stifling · voicelessness · erasure · marginalization · intimidation · cover-up · blackout · omerta · hush money
soundproofing
Preventing noise transmission
- insulationThermal transfer prevention
- dampeningReducing or wetting slightly
- absorptionProcess of taking in
muffling · deadening · anechoic · noise-canceling · padding · isolation · baffling · decibel · threshold · ambient
- One-Act PlaysThe Bear, The Proposal, Rockaby, The American Dream
Silencespeech
Oral communication ability
talk · communication · speaking · utterance · vocalization
Silencevoice
Sound from throat
speaking out · protest · outcry · expression · disclosure
- silent treatmentRefusing to speak
- dead silenceTotal absence of sound
- in silenceWithout audible expression
- moment of silenceBrief silent tribute
- fall silentStop producing sound
- awkward silenceUncomfortable lull in conversation
silent, silently, silencer, silencers, silences, silenced, silencing