silent
gb/sˈaɪlənt/ us/sˈaɪlənt/
A2
English
~ 2300
Senses
0 senses
adjective
A2
property
1
Not making noise
Not making any noise.
Usage pattern:
[something] is silent
Common mistake:
Learners sometimes confuse 'silent' with 'quiet'. 'Silent' means no sound at all, while 'quiet' means little sound.
Synonyms
quiet ('Quiet' can mean low in sound, not necessarily completely without sound.)
Antonyms
noisy ('Noisy' means making a lot of loud sounds.)
Collocations
remain silent
|completely silent
|dead silent
|fall silent
|keep silent
Themes
daily life
|sound
|environment
|daily_life
|core_vocabulary
Examples
- The room was completely silent after the announcement.
- She remained silent during the entire meeting.
- The forest was silent except for the rustle of leaves.
Learner examples
- The house is silent at night.
- He was silent in the car.
- It is silent in the library.
adjective
A2
property
2
Not speaking
Not talking or saying anything.
Usage pattern:
[someone] is silent
Synonyms
mute ('Mute' can refer to inability to speak or being temporarily speechless.)
Antonyms
talkative ('Talkative' means speaking a lot.)
Collocations
remain silent
|stay silent
|fall silent
|keep someone silent
Themes
communication
|emotions
|relationships
Examples
- He stayed silent, refusing to answer the question.
- The crowd fell silent as the leader spoke.
- She was silent throughout the whole dinner.
Learner examples
- He is silent in class.
- They are silent when the teacher talks.
- She is silent in the meeting.
adjective
B1
property
3
Not mentioned openly
Not talked about openly.
Usage pattern:
[someone/something] is silent on [topic]
Synonyms
unspoken ('Unspoken' emphasizes something left unsaid but understood.)
Antonyms
open ('Open' means willing to talk freely about something.)
Collocations
remain silent on
|stay silent about
|be silent regarding
Themes
communication
|news
|politics
|business
Examples
- The report was silent on the causes of the problem.
- He remained silent about his plans for the future.
- The company has been silent on the matter.
Learner examples
- He is silent about his job.
- The teacher is silent on the test date.
- They are silent about the problem.
adjective
property
4
(Of a letter) not pronounced
(Of a letter) not said when you read the word aloud.
Themes
language
|education
|communication
Grammar
Expressions
No expressions linked to this entry yet.