silent
silent — noun
1. a mode on a phone or similar gadget where the device stops ringing or beeping wh
a mode on a phone or similar gadget where the device stops ringing or beeping when calls or messages arrive, so it does not disturb you.
Felipe put his phone on silent before walking into the job interview.
collocation: put [phone] on silent
Please switch your tablet to silent during the museum tour, everyone.
collocation: switch [device] to silent
Élise missed three calls from the hospital because her phone was on silent all morning.
Most students leave their phones on silent during the chemistry exam.
Christopher forgot to take his watch off silent and slept through the alarm.
- silent mode
fuller form; same meaning, slightly more technical.
- mute
often a button label; can also be a verb ('mute the phone').
- do not disturb
a related but stricter setting that also blocks notifications, not only sound.
- ringer on
informal opposite — sound notifications enabled.
文法句型
on silent
put/switch/leave [device] on silent
用法筆記
Almost always uncountable and almost always after the preposition 'on' (less often 'to' or 'off'). Distinguish from the adjective senses: the noun names a specific device setting, while the adjective describes any quiet state.
常見錯誤
silent — adjective
- silentpositive
- more silentcomparative
- most silentsuperlative
1. with no noise at all, so that you can hear nothing.
with no noise at all, so that you can hear nothing.
The library was completely silent except for the ticking of the clock above the door.
predicative use after 'was'
Esme crept across the silent kitchen and reached for the cookie jar on the top shelf.
attributive use before noun
The whole street fell silent when the ambulance siren stopped at the corner.
Christopher's new electric car is almost silent on the motorway.
After midnight the old farmhouse was silent, and even the dogs had stopped barking.
文法句型
fall silent
go silent
用法筆記
Often follows 'fall', 'go', or 'stay' to describe a sudden or continued absence of sound. Distinguish from sense 2, which is specifically about people not speaking.
常見錯誤
2. not saying anything at a moment when you might be expected to speak.
not saying anything at a moment when you might be expected to speak.
Darius stayed silent throughout the meeting and only nodded when his manager asked a question.
collocation: stay silent
Why are you so silent tonight, Élise? Has something upset you at school?
predicative use; direct address
The witness chose to remain silent about what she had seen near the warehouse.
Quan was silent for a long minute before answering his grandmother's question.
- speechless
implies an inability to speak, often from shock
- wordless
more literary; emphasizes the absence of words
- mum
informal; usually in 'keep mum'
文法句型
be silent about something
remain silent
keep silent
用法筆記
Frequently follows 'remain', 'stay', 'fall', or 'keep'. With 'about + noun', it means refusing or failing to discuss a specific topic. Different from sense 3, which describes a person's general personality rather than one moment.
常見錯誤
3. describing a person who naturally says little, often coming across as calm, seri
describing a person who naturally says little, often coming across as calm, serious, or quietly confident.
Gabriel is the silent type at parties, but his close friends know he tells brilliant jokes at home.
fixed phrase: the silent type
Our new neighbour is a tall, silent man who waves once each morning and disappears.
attributive use
Yan was a silent boy in primary school, but he became confident on the debate team.
The detective in the novel is a silent figure who solves cases without ever raising her voice.
文法句型
a silent type
the strong silent type
用法筆記
Refers to a settled trait of personality, not a single moment of not speaking. The fixed phrase 'the strong silent type' often carries a positive or admiring tone in fiction. Distinguish from sense 2 (one specific moment of not speaking).
常見錯誤
4. choosing not to give information about something, especially when questioned by
choosing not to give information about something, especially when questioned by police or asked publicly.
The suspect was reminded that he had the right to remain silent until his lawyer arrived.
fixed phrase: right to remain silent
Senator Diya stayed silent on the budget vote, even when reporters waited outside her office.
pattern: silent on + topic
Amani has been silent about the missing documents since the audit began last month.
The contract requires both companies to be silent on the terms of the settlement.
- reticent
formal; emphasizes unwillingness to talk about something
- tight-lipped
informal; vivid image of refusing to share details
- non-committal
avoids taking a clear position
- forthcoming
willingly sharing information
- open
freely talking about something
文法句型
the right to remain silent
be silent on something
用法筆記
Most often used with 'on' or 'about' + a topic, and frequently in legal or political contexts. Distinguish from sense 2 (just not speaking at this moment) — sense 4 implies a deliberate refusal to disclose specific information.
常見錯誤
5. happening or working in a way that other people do not see or pay attention to.
happening or working in a way that other people do not see or pay attention to.
High blood pressure is sometimes called a silent killer because it causes harm without clear warning signs.
fixed collocation: silent killer
Constanza's silent support for the new project gave the young engineers the courage to keep going.
attributive use; abstract noun
Tenants discovered a silent rent hike that had quietly raised their bills over six months.
Climate change is a silent threat to many small farms across the southern region.
文法句型
a silent + noun (killer/threat/majority/protest)
用法筆記
Almost always attributive (before a noun). Common fixed pairings include 'silent killer', 'silent majority', 'silent protest', and 'silent partner'. Distinguish from sense 1 (literally without sound) — here the focus is on being unnoticed, not on noise level.
常見錯誤
6. describing a disease or infection that develops in the body without causing symp
describing a disease or infection that develops in the body without causing symptoms a patient can notice.
Doctors warn that a silent heart attack can leave damage that only shows up on a later scan.
domain: medicine; fixed: silent heart attack
Ava was shocked to learn that her thyroid problem had been a silent illness for over five years.
Public health officials worried about silent carriers spreading the virus in crowded train stations.
The clinic now screens older patients for silent infections that might affect kidney function.
- asymptomatic
technical; the medical term for showing no symptoms
- subclinical
highly technical; below the level of clear clinical signs
- hidden
less precise; everyday register
- symptomatic
showing clear signs of disease
文法句型
a silent + medical noun (infection/heart attack/spreader)
用法筆記
Always attributive in this medical sense. Typical pairings: 'silent heart attack', 'silent stroke', 'silent infection', 'silent carrier', 'silent spreader'. Use sense 5 ('unnoticed') for non-medical contexts; this sense is reserved for clinical or public-health writing.
常見錯誤
7. felt or accepted between people without anyone actually saying it out loud, ofte
felt or accepted between people without anyone actually saying it out loud, often through a look, a nod, or a shared assumption.
There was a silent agreement among the neighbors not to mention the broken fence again.
silent agreement = unspoken understanding
Faisal gave his daughter a silent nod of approval as she stepped onto the stage.
silent + noun of communication (nod, approval)
The two old friends shared a silent understanding that some questions were better left alone.
Her crossed arms and tight lips were a silent rebuke that Dario felt across the room.
文法句型
silent + abstract noun (agreement, approval, rebuke)
用法筆記
Distinguish from sense 2 (without talking): this sense modifies an abstract noun (agreement, approval, message), not a person. The communication still happens — just not through speech.
常見錯誤
8. describes a letter that appears in the spelling of a word but is not actually sa
describes a letter that appears in the spelling of a word but is not actually said when you read the word aloud — like the k in knee.
The 'b' in 'lamb' is silent, which often confuses children learning to spell.
the [letter] in [word] is silent
Zuri asked her teacher why the 'k' in 'knife' is silent.
silent + specific letter in a word
English has many silent letters, such as the 'h' in 'hour' and the 'p' in 'psychology'.
Many French words end with a silent consonant that English speakers often try to pronounce.
- unpronounced
more technical; used in linguistics descriptions
- mute
older term, sometimes seen in older grammar books (the mute e)
文法句型
silent + letter / consonant / vowel
用法筆記
Almost always attributive (silent letter, silent k). You don't say 'the letter is silent' as often as 'the silent letter' — though the predicative form does occur in language teaching ('the b is silent').
常見錯誤
9. describes the early films from roughly the 1890s to the late 1920s, which had pi
describes the early films from roughly the 1890s to the late 1920s, which had pictures and music but no recorded speech, so the actors' words were shown on text cards instead.
Charlie Chaplin became famous during the silent film era of the 1920s.
silent film era — historical period
Aoi watched a silent movie at the festival and was surprised by how expressive the acting was.
silent movie + viewer reaction
Many silent films were lost forever because the old reels were stored in poor conditions.
A live pianist would often play music in cinemas to accompany silent movies.
- soundless
rarely used for films; describes any media without audio
文法句型
silent + film / movie / era / cinema
用法筆記
Used attributively before nouns like film, movie, cinema, era, comedian, star. Refers specifically to a historical genre — modern films released without dialogue are usually called 'dialogue-free' or 'wordless' instead.