being silent
Holding your tongue
Being silent is the state of not speaking or making sound.
It can describe deliberate quiet—choosing not to respond, keeping a secret, or withholding comment: She's being silent about what happened.
Being silent may signal contemplation, disapproval, or tactical restraint.
It differs from silence as a noun; being silent emphasizes the active choice or current state rather than the absence of sound itself.
- muteWithout voice or sound
- nonverbalNot using speech
- noiselessProducing no sound
- taciturnHabitually uncommunicative
- inaudibleCannot be heard
quiet · soundless · keeping quiet · hush · reticence · stillness · stoicism · tactfulness · discretion · unexpressiveness · reserve · transcendence · restraint · speechless · biting lip · unheard · tranquility · composure
being silentspeaking
Oral expression of language
talking · vocalizing · shouting · yelling · screaming
being silentspeaking up
Voicing your thoughts
expressing oneself · communicating · articulating · responding · opening up
being silentspeaking out
speaking up · protesting · advocating · breaking silence · bearing witness
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