ENGLISH
REFERENCE

suffer in silence

idiom
Meaning

To tolerate a bad situation without complaining.


Examples
SIMPLE

He prefers to suffer in silence rather than complain about his pain.

CONTEXTUAL

She felt overwhelmed by her workload but chose to suffer in silence instead of asking her manager for help.

COMPLEX

Despite the mounting pressure and the unfair treatment from his colleagues, he continued to suffer in silence, maintaining a stoic facade that concealed his inner turmoil.

Anchors to
Related idioms7entries
  1. 01

    blue wall of silence

    Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a police force with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable police actions.

  2. 02

    dead silence

    A particularly notable/awkward silence or absence of response.

  3. 03

    deafening silence

    A noteworthy silence, or absence of response, especially one signifying disapproval or lack of enthusiasm.

  4. 04

    pact of silence

    A tacit agreement not to discuss a certain topic

  5. 05

    speech is silver, silence is golden

    Not saying anything is often better than speaking too much or saying something inappropriate.

  6. 06

    suffer fools gladly

    To be tolerant of stupidity or incompetence in other people.

  7. 07

    wall of silence

    Strict secretiveness maintained by the members of a group with respect to information which might be contrary to their interests, especially information concerning questionable actions by members of the group.

© 2026 English Reference