# silent

/ˈsaɪɫənt/ (US) · /sˈaɪlənt/ (UK)

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/silent
Updated: 2026-06-19

## Senses

### 1. no sound

adjective · CEFR B1

making no noise or sound; completely quiet.

For teachers: characterised by a total absence of sound or noise; perfectly still.

- The library was completely silent as everyone was focused on their exams.
- The forest was eerily silent after the storm, with not even the rustle of a leaf to break the stillness.

### 2. not speaking

adjective · CEFR B1

not talking or refusing to speak.

For teachers: refraining from speech; remaining mute or taciturn in a social or formal context.

- He remained silent during the meeting because he didn't want to argue.
- The defendant chose to stay silent throughout the interrogation, following the advice of his legal counsel.

### 3. unpronounced letter

adjective · CEFR B2

a letter in a word that is written but not spoken.

For teachers: referring to a grapheme that has no phonetic value in a specific word's pronunciation.

- The 'k' in the word 'knife' is silent.
- Learners often struggle with the silent 'b' in words like 'debt' and 'subtle' because the spelling contradicts the phonetic output.

### 4. device mode

adjective · CEFR B1

having the sound or ringer turned off on a phone or computer.

For teachers: referring to a device setting that suppresses audible alerts or notifications.

- Please put your phones on silent before the movie begins.
- The executive kept her smartphone on silent mode during the presentation to ensure there were no digital distractions.

### 5. medical/hidden

adjective · CEFR C1 · Technical

happening without any clear signs or symptoms.

For teachers: referring to a condition or process that is undetected or undiagnosed due to a lack of overt symptoms.

- High blood pressure is often called a silent killer because you cannot feel it.
- The patient suffered a silent heart attack, which was only discovered months later during a routine electrocardiogram.

### 6. non-sound film

noun · CEFR B2

a movie made before films had recorded talking or sound.

For teachers: a motion picture produced without a synchronised recorded soundtrack, typical of the era before the late 1920s.

- Charlie Chaplin was a very famous star of the silents.
- The museum is hosting a retrospective of 1920s silents, accompanied by a live pianist to recreate the original cinema experience of that period.

## Examples

- The library is completely silent today.
- I keep my phone on silent mode during meetings so the notifications do not distract my colleagues.
- The silent machinery of the modern electric vehicle allows it to glide through urban environments with minimal noise pollution compared to traditional combustion engines.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.