Definition of silent in English:

silent

adjective ˈsʌɪləntˈsaɪlənt

1Not making or accompanied by any sound.
安静的；寂静的；无声的
the wood was still and silent
林子里寂静无声。
Example sentencesExamples
- They were supposed to do a half-hour of silent reading and write about it, but only a handful brought books.
- The valley that had been echoing with battle cries, shouted orders and loud curses fell strangely silent.
- The room was completely silent for a moment.
- He waved his hand slightly and the clock fell apart, its pieces clattering to the floor, adding sound to the once silent room.
- The five minute car ride was silent all the way back to the hotel.
- The place was silent, the only sound to be heard coming from the kitchen where the cook readied the evening's fare before the after work rush started.
- The classroom is silent except for the sound of crackling parchment paper and Lang's occasional suggestion.
- Breakfast was almost silent; the only sound the clanking of the bowls.
- They moved silently, without a sound, as silent as a butterfly.
- The cave was silent except for the sound of his own breathing.
- The room was completely silent other than the sound of dripping water from a corner of the room.
- The room was silent, not the sound of breathing interrupted the quiet, not the sound of crickets, not even it seemed the wind outside the window.
- The silent auction of 39 works raised more than $50,000 of the total.
- The night was silent but for the sound of the raging storm moving closer.
- The house was dead silent, the only sound Piper's feet on the stairs.
- The approach to Broad Street was silent but for the sound of a beating drum.
- The next morning I woke up to the sound of a silent house.
- Still the present silent ruins speak of their rich glorious past which we are all proud of.
- After his departure there was silence from his lover - she didn't return letters and her phone was silent.
- The courtyard was silent except for the sound of falling water, the fountain and the rain.
Synonyms
completely quiet, still, hushed, inaudible, noiseless, soundless, peaceful, tranquil, so quiet you could hear a pin drop
1. 1.1 (of a person) not speaking.
  （人）不作声的
  she fell silent for a moment
  她有一阵子不说话。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Charles was silent for a moment as if lost in thought.
  She remained silent, writing in her diary, which we read later while she wasn't there.
  The audience is silent one moment and filled with laughter the next.
  This long-time silent passenger was now speaking with knowledge and authority.
  He was silent a moment, appearing to gather his thoughts.
  Elected officials, he lectured, should not speak unthinkingly, but rather, when doubts exist, keep silent.
  Keirah was silent, confusion written all over her pretty face.
  I stayed silent for a long time looking over the letter again.
  They were silent for a few moments, while Toni sipped her hot chocolate.
  Vishnar strides into the centre of the bridge's walkway and shouts to the crew, who fall silent as he speaks.
  I was silent for a moment, thinking about what had happened.
  She was too preoccupied with remaining insistently silent and had her mind set on the letter she was drafting to John.
  You cannot fight fire with fire, was the implicit message of the silent crowds.
  I was silent for a moment, choosing my words carefully before I continued.
  He was silent for several moments, staring into the grass.
  In fact, he writes that he offered to remain silent without even being asked.
  Chris fell silent, a shadow of doubt passing over his mind.
  Some were silent, others screamed aloud, and some just lay crying, but all appeared miserable.
  ‘I cannot remain silent and blindly support something which leaves doubts in me,’ he said.
  Psychologically, it's much harder to convict a feeling, speaking person than a silent figure who might as well be made of wax.
  Synonyms
  speechless, quiet, unspeaking, wordless, voiceless, dumb, mute, taciturn, reticent, uncommunicative, unforthcoming, tight-lipped, close-mouthed, untalkative, tongue-tied, saying nothing, at a loss for words, struck dumb
  informal mum
2. 1.2 Not expressed aloud.
  不说出的；默默的
  a silent prayer
  默默祈祷。
  Example sentencesExamples
  I sent a silent prayer for someone to watch over me.
  He argued such doubts after a few seconds of silent reflection.
  After a moment of silent contemplation I realised that he was whispering my name.
  In the past hour he had been growing progressively weaker, subject to minutes of silent pain, and Falnec was getting more and more worried.
  However, this thought flitted away as quickly as it had come, settling back into a large, unobserved pile of silent doubts.
  It was a day when silent thoughts spoke loudly and tears told their own sad story.
  They made it sound so easy, yet Fox was filled with so many silent doubts.
  As he wrote, he gave silent thanks to the people who'd invented the helmet.
  She knew that this wasn't the safest thing in the world to do, but after saying a quick, silent prayer, she felt much more relaxed and safe.
  Mikah, dragged out of the room and into the hallway before he had time to protest, kept his doubts silent.
  Fann's 5th-grade child has often written down Chou's name in silent reminiscence.
  The New Year eve celebrations may be marked by glitzy electric displays and noisy parties at one end and silent prayers for peace and harmony at the other.
  It is a common occurrence to see the fans of baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays shut their eyes, either in silent prayer or to escape the sight of another humbling defeat.
  As the kids and I huddled together on the floor in the basement I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that we were all safe and basically in good spirits.
  A man was running, his mouth working silent screams of anguish and despair.
  More than 100 people congregated in the Westbury House Gardens, Bradford on Avon for an hour of silent prayer.
  He'd been toying with the idea since 1947, with a piece of music he called ‘A silent prayer.’
  He buries his head in my shoulder, his own shaking with silent sobs.
  The relatives and close friends sit in the same room as the deceased and maintain a silent prayer vigil throughout the night until morning.
  She sat with her knees together, hands clasped in silent prayer.
  Synonyms
  unspoken, wordless, unsaid, unstated, undeclared, unexpressed, unmentioned, unpronounced, unvoiced, tacit, implicit, understood, implied, taken for granted
3. 1.3 (of a letter) written but not pronounced, e.g. b in doubt.
  （字母）不发音的
  a silent ‘h’
  Example sentencesExamples
  How do you spell a long word with silent letters?
  This means they spell words the way that they sound, missing out silent letters and not following spelling rules.
  If you flip it to level 2, all it does is put into a slightly fainter form, those letters that are silent, which is quite a handy little guide.
  The initial letter in Bart Goor's surname is silent.
  Children and learners of the language are confused by the number of silent letters in Gaelic, especially those which are in the middle of words and which have no good reason to be there.
  The present study investigated how children spell words that contain silent consonants as their final letter.
4. 1.4 (of a film) without an accompanying soundtrack.
  （电影）无声的
  she appeared in a number of silent films
  Example sentencesExamples
  Intertitles, as well as pantomimed preludes and interludes, reminiscent of silent films, provide plot details and dialogue.
  Another intriguing tidbit concerns the gakudan, the musical group that accompanied silent films.
  Film stocks of the silent era were incapable of filming at night.
  EbertFest has a tradition of showing great old silent films with live accompaniment.
  The pacing is perfect - there's none of that long, drawn-out feeling one sometimes gets watching silent films.
  The evolution of popular music and artists appearing in film began when silent films depended on piano playing for audio appeal.
  Are there any other superhero creators that take their inspiration from French silent film star/director Max Linder?
  Alexander Jacoby is a British film critic whose particular interests include Japanese cinema and silent film.
  This is a silent feature film starring Jackie Coogan, costar of Chaplin's 1921 masterpiece The Kid.
  I cut the whole thing with a Moviscope, which is just a silent film viewer, and a pair of rewinds.
  Film buffs will also enjoy the experience of seeing one of the last two-strip Technicolor silent films.
  There were silent films and early talkies, most of them unspectacular.
  Still, the film succeeds often enough to be worth a look, especially for silent film buffs looking for those neglected classics.
  Though most of the film was silent, when Al Jolson opened his mouth to sing, his own voice actually filled the theater.
  But Buster Keaton is the greatest silent film director/performer ever and one of the greatest film figures of all time.
  I once watched a Fritz Lang silent film without music and my head ached for days.
  Freed from the shackles of words and dialects, silent cinema spoke a universal language that all nations and all classes could understand.
  He names silent film legend Buster Keaton as a major influence, and his expression is similarly poker-faced.
  If you're at all interested in silent films or Greta Garbo, buy this collection.
  The plot mechanics seem forced and even ludicrous at times, but the acting is generally restrained by silent film standards.
5. 1.5 Saying or recording nothing on a particular subject.
  未谈及的；未记录的
  the poems are silent on the question of marriage
  这些诗没有提及婚姻问题。
  Example sentencesExamples
  The governor simply required that he leave the country, and with that the record falls silent.
  But after taking time to consider the request, Mr. Kerik again decided to remain silent on the subject.
  Brent kept silent on the subject, deciding he'd rather not know how such a feat was achieved.
  If the constitution is silent on a subject then it's up to parliament from time to time to deal with that subject or not to deal with it, as it thinks fit.
  But despite more prodding from them, Eve remained silent on the subject.
  Ever since it gave the probe into what went wrong to two independent executives, the network has gone silent on the subject.
  Joyce and Johnston have been silent on the subject over the last 24 hours.
  He has been mysteriously silent on the subject of privatization.
  His mom has come around, entering counseling with him, but his father remains silent on the subject.
  First, the Justices said that the statute is not truly silent with respect to mental state.
  The largest forced migration in human history has left a powerfully silent documentary record for historians to work from.
  ‘He's a very good man,’ she repeated and Kate nodded, wisely remaining silent on the subject.
  The prosecution remains silent on the subject, choosing instead to deflect criticism to the defense.
  And they don't know because the media has been conspicuously silent on this topic.
  Fourth and finally, Lincoln denied that the Constitution was silent with respect to secession.
  Arlan took the hint and fell silent on the subject until another time.
  All I am concerned to do is to point out that, since the record is silent, one can devise various hypotheses to explain that silence.
  The American media, however, has been all but silent on the subject.
  Wil has stayed curiously silent on the subject, and I think for such a prominent blogger he should at least acknowledge its existence.
  When we are silent in the face of accusation, the public sees us as guilty.
6. 1.6 (of a person) not prone to speak much; taciturn.
  （人）寡言的，不爱说话的
  I'm the strong, silent type
  我是身体强壮、不爱说话的那种类型的人。
  Example sentencesExamples
  She couldn't believe that the ever silent Rebecca had actually spoken to her.
  Additionally, there's that old saying that when a silent man speaks, wise men listen.
  That makes me sound like the silent type, my desire to avoid conversation.
  Writing in the New York Times, Marin speaks out for the silent minority of men who wait in hope for the patter of tiny feet.
  I never once heard my uncle, a shy, silent man, speak of the manner in which his wife had died.

Phrases

the silent majority

The majority of people, regarded as holding moderate opinions but rarely expressing them.
沉默的大多数；无言百姓
it is vital to get the silent majority to stand up and be counted
Example sentencesExamples
- This now begs the question, is it time for the silent majority to get off the fence and let its voice be heard?
- However his experience suggests that noise nuisance is no longer being tolerated - and that is excellent news for the silent majority.
- Fleming laments that existing surveys and studies have documented something about the vocal minority, but almost nothing about the silent majority.
- ‘This is a most regrettable decision and accepting the fact they have put the document out to publication, they have chosen to ignore the silent majority of patients,’ he said.
- So no one knows what the silent majority really thinks.
- They are the silent majority who have never spoken until now.
- They might not be the silent majority, but they are quite possibly a substantial minority who just might decide this election.
- A little restraint will also help to listen more carefully to the disquieting, but meaningful, silence of the silent majority.
- Could this pick up the protest vote from the silent majority?
- We've been called the silent majority but the key word here is majority.

the silent treatment

A stubborn refusal to talk to someone, especially after a recent argument or disagreement.
不予理睬，置之不理
often bosses ignore workers or give them the silent treatment
Example sentencesExamples
- I won't give people the silent treatment, but I'll give them the ‘one word response’ treatment until I can calm down enough to have a discussion, or even a fight about the situation at hand.
- I figure one of us should be mature and cancel the silent treatment before the end of the year.
- As I write, he's giving me the silent treatment.
- Although her father is not speaking to her and avoiding her calls, Olivia believes that he is too concerned about being the perfect father for him to give her the silent treatment for long.
- Tell someone why you're angry instead of giving them the silent treatment.
- A Malton man and his wife were having problems and were giving each other the silent treatment.
- Try something like, ‘I've noticed you give Jen the silent treatment when she comes over.’
- She had ignored all of my phone calls last night, and I knew that today I would definitely receive the silent treatment.
- He is infuriated and gives her the silent treatment all the way home, but she doesn't notice.
- My moms been giving me the silent treatment since we fought, it's been days now and I have given her tons of apologies but she just seems to ignore me totally.

Origin

Late 15th century (in the sense 'not speaking'): from Latin silent- 'being silent', from the verb silere.

Definition of silent in US English:

silent

adjectiveˈsaɪləntˈsīlənt

1Not making or accompanied by any sound.
安静的；寂静的；无声的
the woods were still and silent
林子里寂静无声。
Example sentencesExamples
- The approach to Broad Street was silent but for the sound of a beating drum.
- The room was silent, not the sound of breathing interrupted the quiet, not the sound of crickets, not even it seemed the wind outside the window.
- After his departure there was silence from his lover - she didn't return letters and her phone was silent.
- They moved silently, without a sound, as silent as a butterfly.
- The next morning I woke up to the sound of a silent house.
- The five minute car ride was silent all the way back to the hotel.
- The house was dead silent, the only sound Piper's feet on the stairs.
- The place was silent, the only sound to be heard coming from the kitchen where the cook readied the evening's fare before the after work rush started.
- The room was completely silent other than the sound of dripping water from a corner of the room.
- Breakfast was almost silent; the only sound the clanking of the bowls.
- The room was completely silent for a moment.
- Still the present silent ruins speak of their rich glorious past which we are all proud of.
- The night was silent but for the sound of the raging storm moving closer.
- The silent auction of 39 works raised more than $50,000 of the total.
- The courtyard was silent except for the sound of falling water, the fountain and the rain.
- The cave was silent except for the sound of his own breathing.
- He waved his hand slightly and the clock fell apart, its pieces clattering to the floor, adding sound to the once silent room.
- They were supposed to do a half-hour of silent reading and write about it, but only a handful brought books.
- The classroom is silent except for the sound of crackling parchment paper and Lang's occasional suggestion.
- The valley that had been echoing with battle cries, shouted orders and loud curses fell strangely silent.
Synonyms
completely quiet, still, hushed, inaudible, noiseless, soundless, peaceful, tranquil, so quiet you could hear a pin drop
1. 1.1 (of a person) not speaking.
  （人）不作声的
  she fell silent for a moment
  她有一阵子不说话。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Keirah was silent, confusion written all over her pretty face.
  Some were silent, others screamed aloud, and some just lay crying, but all appeared miserable.
  Vishnar strides into the centre of the bridge's walkway and shouts to the crew, who fall silent as he speaks.
  The audience is silent one moment and filled with laughter the next.
  I stayed silent for a long time looking over the letter again.
  Psychologically, it's much harder to convict a feeling, speaking person than a silent figure who might as well be made of wax.
  Charles was silent for a moment as if lost in thought.
  Elected officials, he lectured, should not speak unthinkingly, but rather, when doubts exist, keep silent.
  She remained silent, writing in her diary, which we read later while she wasn't there.
  I was silent for a moment, choosing my words carefully before I continued.
  I was silent for a moment, thinking about what had happened.
  He was silent for several moments, staring into the grass.
  In fact, he writes that he offered to remain silent without even being asked.
  ‘I cannot remain silent and blindly support something which leaves doubts in me,’ he said.
  They were silent for a few moments, while Toni sipped her hot chocolate.
  She was too preoccupied with remaining insistently silent and had her mind set on the letter she was drafting to John.
  Chris fell silent, a shadow of doubt passing over his mind.
  He was silent a moment, appearing to gather his thoughts.
  This long-time silent passenger was now speaking with knowledge and authority.
  You cannot fight fire with fire, was the implicit message of the silent crowds.
  Synonyms
  speechless, quiet, unspeaking, wordless, voiceless, dumb, mute, taciturn, reticent, uncommunicative, unforthcoming, tight-lipped, close-mouthed, untalkative, tongue-tied, saying nothing, at a loss for words, struck dumb
2. 1.2 Not expressed aloud.
  不说出的；默默的
  a silent prayer
  默默祈祷。
  Example sentencesExamples
  He buries his head in my shoulder, his own shaking with silent sobs.
  He argued such doubts after a few seconds of silent reflection.
  Mikah, dragged out of the room and into the hallway before he had time to protest, kept his doubts silent.
  As he wrote, he gave silent thanks to the people who'd invented the helmet.
  He'd been toying with the idea since 1947, with a piece of music he called ‘A silent prayer.’
  The New Year eve celebrations may be marked by glitzy electric displays and noisy parties at one end and silent prayers for peace and harmony at the other.
  However, this thought flitted away as quickly as it had come, settling back into a large, unobserved pile of silent doubts.
  In the past hour he had been growing progressively weaker, subject to minutes of silent pain, and Falnec was getting more and more worried.
  Fann's 5th-grade child has often written down Chou's name in silent reminiscence.
  It was a day when silent thoughts spoke loudly and tears told their own sad story.
  She knew that this wasn't the safest thing in the world to do, but after saying a quick, silent prayer, she felt much more relaxed and safe.
  I sent a silent prayer for someone to watch over me.
  A man was running, his mouth working silent screams of anguish and despair.
  They made it sound so easy, yet Fox was filled with so many silent doubts.
  More than 100 people congregated in the Westbury House Gardens, Bradford on Avon for an hour of silent prayer.
  After a moment of silent contemplation I realised that he was whispering my name.
  It is a common occurrence to see the fans of baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays shut their eyes, either in silent prayer or to escape the sight of another humbling defeat.
  The relatives and close friends sit in the same room as the deceased and maintain a silent prayer vigil throughout the night until morning.
  As the kids and I huddled together on the floor in the basement I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that we were all safe and basically in good spirits.
  She sat with her knees together, hands clasped in silent prayer.
  Synonyms
  unspoken, wordless, unsaid, unstated, undeclared, unexpressed, unmentioned, unpronounced, unvoiced, tacit, implicit, understood, implied, taken for granted
3. 1.3 (of a letter) written but not pronounced, e.g. b in doubt.
  （字母）不发音的
  Example sentencesExamples
  The initial letter in Bart Goor's surname is silent.
  The present study investigated how children spell words that contain silent consonants as their final letter.
  If you flip it to level 2, all it does is put into a slightly fainter form, those letters that are silent, which is quite a handy little guide.
  This means they spell words the way that they sound, missing out silent letters and not following spelling rules.
  How do you spell a long word with silent letters?
  Children and learners of the language are confused by the number of silent letters in Gaelic, especially those which are in the middle of words and which have no good reason to be there.
4. 1.4 (of a movie) without an accompanying soundtrack.
  （电影）无声的
  Example sentencesExamples
  The pacing is perfect - there's none of that long, drawn-out feeling one sometimes gets watching silent films.
  Film buffs will also enjoy the experience of seeing one of the last two-strip Technicolor silent films.
  Still, the film succeeds often enough to be worth a look, especially for silent film buffs looking for those neglected classics.
  There were silent films and early talkies, most of them unspectacular.
  Film stocks of the silent era were incapable of filming at night.
  The plot mechanics seem forced and even ludicrous at times, but the acting is generally restrained by silent film standards.
  He names silent film legend Buster Keaton as a major influence, and his expression is similarly poker-faced.
  EbertFest has a tradition of showing great old silent films with live accompaniment.
  Freed from the shackles of words and dialects, silent cinema spoke a universal language that all nations and all classes could understand.
  Intertitles, as well as pantomimed preludes and interludes, reminiscent of silent films, provide plot details and dialogue.
  But Buster Keaton is the greatest silent film director/performer ever and one of the greatest film figures of all time.
  This is a silent feature film starring Jackie Coogan, costar of Chaplin's 1921 masterpiece The Kid.
  Though most of the film was silent, when Al Jolson opened his mouth to sing, his own voice actually filled the theater.
  Alexander Jacoby is a British film critic whose particular interests include Japanese cinema and silent film.
  I cut the whole thing with a Moviscope, which is just a silent film viewer, and a pair of rewinds.
  The evolution of popular music and artists appearing in film began when silent films depended on piano playing for audio appeal.
  Another intriguing tidbit concerns the gakudan, the musical group that accompanied silent films.
  I once watched a Fritz Lang silent film without music and my head ached for days.
  Are there any other superhero creators that take their inspiration from French silent film star/director Max Linder?
  If you're at all interested in silent films or Greta Garbo, buy this collection.
5. 1.5 Saying or recording nothing on a particular subject.
  未谈及的；未记录的
  the poems are silent on the question of marriage
  这些诗没有提及婚姻问题。
  Example sentencesExamples
  Fourth and finally, Lincoln denied that the Constitution was silent with respect to secession.
  Arlan took the hint and fell silent on the subject until another time.
  Wil has stayed curiously silent on the subject, and I think for such a prominent blogger he should at least acknowledge its existence.
  But after taking time to consider the request, Mr. Kerik again decided to remain silent on the subject.
  First, the Justices said that the statute is not truly silent with respect to mental state.
  His mom has come around, entering counseling with him, but his father remains silent on the subject.
  When we are silent in the face of accusation, the public sees us as guilty.
  All I am concerned to do is to point out that, since the record is silent, one can devise various hypotheses to explain that silence.
  Ever since it gave the probe into what went wrong to two independent executives, the network has gone silent on the subject.
  If the constitution is silent on a subject then it's up to parliament from time to time to deal with that subject or not to deal with it, as it thinks fit.
  Brent kept silent on the subject, deciding he'd rather not know how such a feat was achieved.
  Joyce and Johnston have been silent on the subject over the last 24 hours.
  He has been mysteriously silent on the subject of privatization.
  And they don't know because the media has been conspicuously silent on this topic.
  The American media, however, has been all but silent on the subject.
  But despite more prodding from them, Eve remained silent on the subject.
  The prosecution remains silent on the subject, choosing instead to deflect criticism to the defense.
  The largest forced migration in human history has left a powerfully silent documentary record for historians to work from.
  ‘He's a very good man,’ she repeated and Kate nodded, wisely remaining silent on the subject.
  The governor simply required that he leave the country, and with that the record falls silent.
6. 1.6 (of a person) not prone to speak much; taciturn.
  （人）寡言的，不爱说话的
  I'm the strong, silent type
  我是身体强壮、不爱说话的那种类型的人。
  Example sentencesExamples
  I never once heard my uncle, a shy, silent man, speak of the manner in which his wife had died.
  Additionally, there's that old saying that when a silent man speaks, wise men listen.
  That makes me sound like the silent type, my desire to avoid conversation.
  Writing in the New York Times, Marin speaks out for the silent minority of men who wait in hope for the patter of tiny feet.
  She couldn't believe that the ever silent Rebecca had actually spoken to her.

Phrases

the silent majority

The majority of people, regarded as holding moderate opinions but rarely expressing them.
沉默的大多数；无言百姓
Example sentencesExamples
- ‘This is a most regrettable decision and accepting the fact they have put the document out to publication, they have chosen to ignore the silent majority of patients,’ he said.
- Fleming laments that existing surveys and studies have documented something about the vocal minority, but almost nothing about the silent majority.
- Could this pick up the protest vote from the silent majority?
- They are the silent majority who have never spoken until now.
- A little restraint will also help to listen more carefully to the disquieting, but meaningful, silence of the silent majority.
- They might not be the silent majority, but they are quite possibly a substantial minority who just might decide this election.
- We've been called the silent majority but the key word here is majority.
- So no one knows what the silent majority really thinks.
- However his experience suggests that noise nuisance is no longer being tolerated - and that is excellent news for the silent majority.
- This now begs the question, is it time for the silent majority to get off the fence and let its voice be heard?

the silent treatment

A stubborn refusal to talk to someone, especially after a recent argument or disagreement.
不予理睬，置之不理
Example sentencesExamples
- As I write, he's giving me the silent treatment.
- A Malton man and his wife were having problems and were giving each other the silent treatment.
- I figure one of us should be mature and cancel the silent treatment before the end of the year.
- Try something like, ‘I've noticed you give Jen the silent treatment when she comes over.’
- She had ignored all of my phone calls last night, and I knew that today I would definitely receive the silent treatment.
- I won't give people the silent treatment, but I'll give them the ‘one word response’ treatment until I can calm down enough to have a discussion, or even a fight about the situation at hand.
- Although her father is not speaking to her and avoiding her calls, Olivia believes that he is too concerned about being the perfect father for him to give her the silent treatment for long.
- Tell someone why you're angry instead of giving them the silent treatment.
- He is infuriated and gives her the silent treatment all the way home, but she doesn't notice.
- My moms been giving me the silent treatment since we fought, it's been days now and I have given her tons of apologies but she just seems to ignore me totally.

Origin

Late 15th century (in the sense ‘not speaking’): from Latin silent- ‘being silent’, from the verb silere.

词汇	silent
释义	Definition of silent in English: silent adjective ˈsʌɪləntˈsaɪlənt 1Not making or accompanied by any sound. 安静的；寂静的；无声的 the wood was still and silent 林子里寂静无声。 Example sentencesExamples They were supposed to do a half-hour of silent reading and write about it, but only a handful brought books. The valley that had been echoing with battle cries, shouted orders and loud curses fell strangely silent. The room was completely silent for a moment. He waved his hand slightly and the clock fell apart, its pieces clattering to the floor, adding sound to the once silent room. The five minute car ride was silent all the way back to the hotel. The place was silent, the only sound to be heard coming from the kitchen where the cook readied the evening's fare before the after work rush started. The classroom is silent except for the sound of crackling parchment paper and Lang's occasional suggestion. Breakfast was almost silent; the only sound the clanking of the bowls. They moved silently, without a sound, as silent as a butterfly. The cave was silent except for the sound of his own breathing. The room was completely silent other than the sound of dripping water from a corner of the room. The room was silent, not the sound of breathing interrupted the quiet, not the sound of crickets, not even it seemed the wind outside the window. The silent auction of 39 works raised more than $50,000 of the total. The night was silent but for the sound of the raging storm moving closer. The house was dead silent, the only sound Piper's feet on the stairs. The approach to Broad Street was silent but for the sound of a beating drum. The next morning I woke up to the sound of a silent house. Still the present silent ruins speak of their rich glorious past which we are all proud of. After his departure there was silence from his lover - she didn't return letters and her phone was silent. The courtyard was silent except for the sound of falling water, the fountain and the rain. Synonyms completely quiet, still, hushed, inaudible, noiseless, soundless, peaceful, tranquil, so quiet you could hear a pin drop 1.1 (of a person) not speaking. （人）不作声的 she fell silent for a moment 她有一阵子不说话。 Example sentencesExamples Charles was silent for a moment as if lost in thought. She remained silent, writing in her diary, which we read later while she wasn't there. The audience is silent one moment and filled with laughter the next. This long-time silent passenger was now speaking with knowledge and authority. He was silent a moment, appearing to gather his thoughts. Elected officials, he lectured, should not speak unthinkingly, but rather, when doubts exist, keep silent. Keirah was silent, confusion written all over her pretty face. I stayed silent for a long time looking over the letter again. They were silent for a few moments, while Toni sipped her hot chocolate. Vishnar strides into the centre of the bridge's walkway and shouts to the crew, who fall silent as he speaks. I was silent for a moment, thinking about what had happened. She was too preoccupied with remaining insistently silent and had her mind set on the letter she was drafting to John. You cannot fight fire with fire, was the implicit message of the silent crowds. I was silent for a moment, choosing my words carefully before I continued. He was silent for several moments, staring into the grass. In fact, he writes that he offered to remain silent without even being asked. Chris fell silent, a shadow of doubt passing over his mind. Some were silent, others screamed aloud, and some just lay crying, but all appeared miserable. ‘I cannot remain silent and blindly support something which leaves doubts in me,’ he said. Psychologically, it's much harder to convict a feeling, speaking person than a silent figure who might as well be made of wax. Synonyms speechless, quiet, unspeaking, wordless, voiceless, dumb, mute, taciturn, reticent, uncommunicative, unforthcoming, tight-lipped, close-mouthed, untalkative, tongue-tied, saying nothing, at a loss for words, struck dumb informal mum 1.2 Not expressed aloud. 不说出的；默默的 a silent prayer 默默祈祷。 Example sentencesExamples I sent a silent prayer for someone to watch over me. He argued such doubts after a few seconds of silent reflection. After a moment of silent contemplation I realised that he was whispering my name. In the past hour he had been growing progressively weaker, subject to minutes of silent pain, and Falnec was getting more and more worried. However, this thought flitted away as quickly as it had come, settling back into a large, unobserved pile of silent doubts. It was a day when silent thoughts spoke loudly and tears told their own sad story. They made it sound so easy, yet Fox was filled with so many silent doubts. As he wrote, he gave silent thanks to the people who'd invented the helmet. She knew that this wasn't the safest thing in the world to do, but after saying a quick, silent prayer, she felt much more relaxed and safe. Mikah, dragged out of the room and into the hallway before he had time to protest, kept his doubts silent. Fann's 5th-grade child has often written down Chou's name in silent reminiscence. The New Year eve celebrations may be marked by glitzy electric displays and noisy parties at one end and silent prayers for peace and harmony at the other. It is a common occurrence to see the fans of baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays shut their eyes, either in silent prayer or to escape the sight of another humbling defeat. As the kids and I huddled together on the floor in the basement I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that we were all safe and basically in good spirits. A man was running, his mouth working silent screams of anguish and despair. More than 100 people congregated in the Westbury House Gardens, Bradford on Avon for an hour of silent prayer. He'd been toying with the idea since 1947, with a piece of music he called ‘A silent prayer.’ He buries his head in my shoulder, his own shaking with silent sobs. The relatives and close friends sit in the same room as the deceased and maintain a silent prayer vigil throughout the night until morning. She sat with her knees together, hands clasped in silent prayer. Synonyms unspoken, wordless, unsaid, unstated, undeclared, unexpressed, unmentioned, unpronounced, unvoiced, tacit, implicit, understood, implied, taken for granted 1.3 (of a letter) written but not pronounced, e.g. b in doubt. （字母）不发音的 a silent ‘h’ Example sentencesExamples How do you spell a long word with silent letters? This means they spell words the way that they sound, missing out silent letters and not following spelling rules. If you flip it to level 2, all it does is put into a slightly fainter form, those letters that are silent, which is quite a handy little guide. The initial letter in Bart Goor's surname is silent. Children and learners of the language are confused by the number of silent letters in Gaelic, especially those which are in the middle of words and which have no good reason to be there. The present study investigated how children spell words that contain silent consonants as their final letter. 1.4 (of a film) without an accompanying soundtrack. （电影）无声的 she appeared in a number of silent films Example sentencesExamples Intertitles, as well as pantomimed preludes and interludes, reminiscent of silent films, provide plot details and dialogue. Another intriguing tidbit concerns the gakudan, the musical group that accompanied silent films. Film stocks of the silent era were incapable of filming at night. EbertFest has a tradition of showing great old silent films with live accompaniment. The pacing is perfect - there's none of that long, drawn-out feeling one sometimes gets watching silent films. The evolution of popular music and artists appearing in film began when silent films depended on piano playing for audio appeal. Are there any other superhero creators that take their inspiration from French silent film star/director Max Linder? Alexander Jacoby is a British film critic whose particular interests include Japanese cinema and silent film. This is a silent feature film starring Jackie Coogan, costar of Chaplin's 1921 masterpiece The Kid. I cut the whole thing with a Moviscope, which is just a silent film viewer, and a pair of rewinds. Film buffs will also enjoy the experience of seeing one of the last two-strip Technicolor silent films. There were silent films and early talkies, most of them unspectacular. Still, the film succeeds often enough to be worth a look, especially for silent film buffs looking for those neglected classics. Though most of the film was silent, when Al Jolson opened his mouth to sing, his own voice actually filled the theater. But Buster Keaton is the greatest silent film director/performer ever and one of the greatest film figures of all time. I once watched a Fritz Lang silent film without music and my head ached for days. Freed from the shackles of words and dialects, silent cinema spoke a universal language that all nations and all classes could understand. He names silent film legend Buster Keaton as a major influence, and his expression is similarly poker-faced. If you're at all interested in silent films or Greta Garbo, buy this collection. The plot mechanics seem forced and even ludicrous at times, but the acting is generally restrained by silent film standards. 1.5 Saying or recording nothing on a particular subject. 未谈及的；未记录的 the poems are silent on the question of marriage 这些诗没有提及婚姻问题。 Example sentencesExamples The governor simply required that he leave the country, and with that the record falls silent. But after taking time to consider the request, Mr. Kerik again decided to remain silent on the subject. Brent kept silent on the subject, deciding he'd rather not know how such a feat was achieved. If the constitution is silent on a subject then it's up to parliament from time to time to deal with that subject or not to deal with it, as it thinks fit. But despite more prodding from them, Eve remained silent on the subject. Ever since it gave the probe into what went wrong to two independent executives, the network has gone silent on the subject. Joyce and Johnston have been silent on the subject over the last 24 hours. He has been mysteriously silent on the subject of privatization. His mom has come around, entering counseling with him, but his father remains silent on the subject. First, the Justices said that the statute is not truly silent with respect to mental state. The largest forced migration in human history has left a powerfully silent documentary record for historians to work from. ‘He's a very good man,’ she repeated and Kate nodded, wisely remaining silent on the subject. The prosecution remains silent on the subject, choosing instead to deflect criticism to the defense. And they don't know because the media has been conspicuously silent on this topic. Fourth and finally, Lincoln denied that the Constitution was silent with respect to secession. Arlan took the hint and fell silent on the subject until another time. All I am concerned to do is to point out that, since the record is silent, one can devise various hypotheses to explain that silence. The American media, however, has been all but silent on the subject. Wil has stayed curiously silent on the subject, and I think for such a prominent blogger he should at least acknowledge its existence. When we are silent in the face of accusation, the public sees us as guilty. 1.6 (of a person) not prone to speak much; taciturn. （人）寡言的，不爱说话的 I'm the strong, silent type 我是身体强壮、不爱说话的那种类型的人。 Example sentencesExamples She couldn't believe that the ever silent Rebecca had actually spoken to her. Additionally, there's that old saying that when a silent man speaks, wise men listen. That makes me sound like the silent type, my desire to avoid conversation. Writing in the New York Times, Marin speaks out for the silent minority of men who wait in hope for the patter of tiny feet. I never once heard my uncle, a shy, silent man, speak of the manner in which his wife had died. Phrases the silent majority The majority of people, regarded as holding moderate opinions but rarely expressing them. 沉默的大多数；无言百姓 it is vital to get the silent majority to stand up and be counted Example sentencesExamples This now begs the question, is it time for the silent majority to get off the fence and let its voice be heard? However his experience suggests that noise nuisance is no longer being tolerated - and that is excellent news for the silent majority. Fleming laments that existing surveys and studies have documented something about the vocal minority, but almost nothing about the silent majority. ‘This is a most regrettable decision and accepting the fact they have put the document out to publication, they have chosen to ignore the silent majority of patients,’ he said. So no one knows what the silent majority really thinks. They are the silent majority who have never spoken until now. They might not be the silent majority, but they are quite possibly a substantial minority who just might decide this election. A little restraint will also help to listen more carefully to the disquieting, but meaningful, silence of the silent majority. Could this pick up the protest vote from the silent majority? We've been called the silent majority but the key word here is majority. the silent treatment A stubborn refusal to talk to someone, especially after a recent argument or disagreement. 不予理睬，置之不理 often bosses ignore workers or give them the silent treatment Example sentencesExamples I won't give people the silent treatment, but I'll give them the ‘one word response’ treatment until I can calm down enough to have a discussion, or even a fight about the situation at hand. I figure one of us should be mature and cancel the silent treatment before the end of the year. As I write, he's giving me the silent treatment. Although her father is not speaking to her and avoiding her calls, Olivia believes that he is too concerned about being the perfect father for him to give her the silent treatment for long. Tell someone why you're angry instead of giving them the silent treatment. A Malton man and his wife were having problems and were giving each other the silent treatment. Try something like, ‘I've noticed you give Jen the silent treatment when she comes over.’ She had ignored all of my phone calls last night, and I knew that today I would definitely receive the silent treatment. He is infuriated and gives her the silent treatment all the way home, but she doesn't notice. My moms been giving me the silent treatment since we fought, it's been days now and I have given her tons of apologies but she just seems to ignore me totally. Origin Late 15th century (in the sense 'not speaking'): from Latin silent- 'being silent', from the verb silere. adj.1 phr. Definition of silent in US English: silent adjectiveˈsaɪləntˈsīlənt 1Not making or accompanied by any sound. 安静的；寂静的；无声的 the woods were still and silent 林子里寂静无声。 Example sentencesExamples The approach to Broad Street was silent but for the sound of a beating drum. The room was silent, not the sound of breathing interrupted the quiet, not the sound of crickets, not even it seemed the wind outside the window. After his departure there was silence from his lover - she didn't return letters and her phone was silent. They moved silently, without a sound, as silent as a butterfly. The next morning I woke up to the sound of a silent house. The five minute car ride was silent all the way back to the hotel. The house was dead silent, the only sound Piper's feet on the stairs. The place was silent, the only sound to be heard coming from the kitchen where the cook readied the evening's fare before the after work rush started. The room was completely silent other than the sound of dripping water from a corner of the room. Breakfast was almost silent; the only sound the clanking of the bowls. The room was completely silent for a moment. Still the present silent ruins speak of their rich glorious past which we are all proud of. The night was silent but for the sound of the raging storm moving closer. The silent auction of 39 works raised more than $50,000 of the total. The courtyard was silent except for the sound of falling water, the fountain and the rain. The cave was silent except for the sound of his own breathing. He waved his hand slightly and the clock fell apart, its pieces clattering to the floor, adding sound to the once silent room. They were supposed to do a half-hour of silent reading and write about it, but only a handful brought books. The classroom is silent except for the sound of crackling parchment paper and Lang's occasional suggestion. The valley that had been echoing with battle cries, shouted orders and loud curses fell strangely silent. Synonyms completely quiet, still, hushed, inaudible, noiseless, soundless, peaceful, tranquil, so quiet you could hear a pin drop 1.1 (of a person) not speaking. （人）不作声的 she fell silent for a moment 她有一阵子不说话。 Example sentencesExamples Keirah was silent, confusion written all over her pretty face. Some were silent, others screamed aloud, and some just lay crying, but all appeared miserable. Vishnar strides into the centre of the bridge's walkway and shouts to the crew, who fall silent as he speaks. The audience is silent one moment and filled with laughter the next. I stayed silent for a long time looking over the letter again. Psychologically, it's much harder to convict a feeling, speaking person than a silent figure who might as well be made of wax. Charles was silent for a moment as if lost in thought. Elected officials, he lectured, should not speak unthinkingly, but rather, when doubts exist, keep silent. She remained silent, writing in her diary, which we read later while she wasn't there. I was silent for a moment, choosing my words carefully before I continued. I was silent for a moment, thinking about what had happened. He was silent for several moments, staring into the grass. In fact, he writes that he offered to remain silent without even being asked. ‘I cannot remain silent and blindly support something which leaves doubts in me,’ he said. They were silent for a few moments, while Toni sipped her hot chocolate. She was too preoccupied with remaining insistently silent and had her mind set on the letter she was drafting to John. Chris fell silent, a shadow of doubt passing over his mind. He was silent a moment, appearing to gather his thoughts. This long-time silent passenger was now speaking with knowledge and authority. You cannot fight fire with fire, was the implicit message of the silent crowds. Synonyms speechless, quiet, unspeaking, wordless, voiceless, dumb, mute, taciturn, reticent, uncommunicative, unforthcoming, tight-lipped, close-mouthed, untalkative, tongue-tied, saying nothing, at a loss for words, struck dumb 1.2 Not expressed aloud. 不说出的；默默的 a silent prayer 默默祈祷。 Example sentencesExamples He buries his head in my shoulder, his own shaking with silent sobs. He argued such doubts after a few seconds of silent reflection. Mikah, dragged out of the room and into the hallway before he had time to protest, kept his doubts silent. As he wrote, he gave silent thanks to the people who'd invented the helmet. He'd been toying with the idea since 1947, with a piece of music he called ‘A silent prayer.’ The New Year eve celebrations may be marked by glitzy electric displays and noisy parties at one end and silent prayers for peace and harmony at the other. However, this thought flitted away as quickly as it had come, settling back into a large, unobserved pile of silent doubts. In the past hour he had been growing progressively weaker, subject to minutes of silent pain, and Falnec was getting more and more worried. Fann's 5th-grade child has often written down Chou's name in silent reminiscence. It was a day when silent thoughts spoke loudly and tears told their own sad story. She knew that this wasn't the safest thing in the world to do, but after saying a quick, silent prayer, she felt much more relaxed and safe. I sent a silent prayer for someone to watch over me. A man was running, his mouth working silent screams of anguish and despair. They made it sound so easy, yet Fox was filled with so many silent doubts. More than 100 people congregated in the Westbury House Gardens, Bradford on Avon for an hour of silent prayer. After a moment of silent contemplation I realised that he was whispering my name. It is a common occurrence to see the fans of baseball's Tampa Bay Devil Rays shut their eyes, either in silent prayer or to escape the sight of another humbling defeat. The relatives and close friends sit in the same room as the deceased and maintain a silent prayer vigil throughout the night until morning. As the kids and I huddled together on the floor in the basement I sent up a silent prayer of thanks that we were all safe and basically in good spirits. She sat with her knees together, hands clasped in silent prayer. Synonyms unspoken, wordless, unsaid, unstated, undeclared, unexpressed, unmentioned, unpronounced, unvoiced, tacit, implicit, understood, implied, taken for granted 1.3 (of a letter) written but not pronounced, e.g. b in doubt. （字母）不发音的 Example sentencesExamples The initial letter in Bart Goor's surname is silent. The present study investigated how children spell words that contain silent consonants as their final letter. If you flip it to level 2, all it does is put into a slightly fainter form, those letters that are silent, which is quite a handy little guide. This means they spell words the way that they sound, missing out silent letters and not following spelling rules. How do you spell a long word with silent letters? Children and learners of the language are confused by the number of silent letters in Gaelic, especially those which are in the middle of words and which have no good reason to be there. 1.4 (of a movie) without an accompanying soundtrack. （电影）无声的 Example sentencesExamples The pacing is perfect - there's none of that long, drawn-out feeling one sometimes gets watching silent films. Film buffs will also enjoy the experience of seeing one of the last two-strip Technicolor silent films. Still, the film succeeds often enough to be worth a look, especially for silent film buffs looking for those neglected classics. There were silent films and early talkies, most of them unspectacular. Film stocks of the silent era were incapable of filming at night. The plot mechanics seem forced and even ludicrous at times, but the acting is generally restrained by silent film standards. He names silent film legend Buster Keaton as a major influence, and his expression is similarly poker-faced. EbertFest has a tradition of showing great old silent films with live accompaniment. Freed from the shackles of words and dialects, silent cinema spoke a universal language that all nations and all classes could understand. Intertitles, as well as pantomimed preludes and interludes, reminiscent of silent films, provide plot details and dialogue. But Buster Keaton is the greatest silent film director/performer ever and one of the greatest film figures of all time. This is a silent feature film starring Jackie Coogan, costar of Chaplin's 1921 masterpiece The Kid. Though most of the film was silent, when Al Jolson opened his mouth to sing, his own voice actually filled the theater. Alexander Jacoby is a British film critic whose particular interests include Japanese cinema and silent film. I cut the whole thing with a Moviscope, which is just a silent film viewer, and a pair of rewinds. The evolution of popular music and artists appearing in film began when silent films depended on piano playing for audio appeal. Another intriguing tidbit concerns the gakudan, the musical group that accompanied silent films. I once watched a Fritz Lang silent film without music and my head ached for days. Are there any other superhero creators that take their inspiration from French silent film star/director Max Linder? If you're at all interested in silent films or Greta Garbo, buy this collection. 1.5 Saying or recording nothing on a particular subject. 未谈及的；未记录的 the poems are silent on the question of marriage 这些诗没有提及婚姻问题。 Example sentencesExamples Fourth and finally, Lincoln denied that the Constitution was silent with respect to secession. Arlan took the hint and fell silent on the subject until another time. Wil has stayed curiously silent on the subject, and I think for such a prominent blogger he should at least acknowledge its existence. But after taking time to consider the request, Mr. Kerik again decided to remain silent on the subject. First, the Justices said that the statute is not truly silent with respect to mental state. His mom has come around, entering counseling with him, but his father remains silent on the subject. When we are silent in the face of accusation, the public sees us as guilty. All I am concerned to do is to point out that, since the record is silent, one can devise various hypotheses to explain that silence. Ever since it gave the probe into what went wrong to two independent executives, the network has gone silent on the subject. If the constitution is silent on a subject then it's up to parliament from time to time to deal with that subject or not to deal with it, as it thinks fit. Brent kept silent on the subject, deciding he'd rather not know how such a feat was achieved. Joyce and Johnston have been silent on the subject over the last 24 hours. He has been mysteriously silent on the subject of privatization. And they don't know because the media has been conspicuously silent on this topic. The American media, however, has been all but silent on the subject. But despite more prodding from them, Eve remained silent on the subject. The prosecution remains silent on the subject, choosing instead to deflect criticism to the defense. The largest forced migration in human history has left a powerfully silent documentary record for historians to work from. ‘He's a very good man,’ she repeated and Kate nodded, wisely remaining silent on the subject. The governor simply required that he leave the country, and with that the record falls silent. 1.6 (of a person) not prone to speak much; taciturn. （人）寡言的，不爱说话的 I'm the strong, silent type 我是身体强壮、不爱说话的那种类型的人。 Example sentencesExamples I never once heard my uncle, a shy, silent man, speak of the manner in which his wife had died. Additionally, there's that old saying that when a silent man speaks, wise men listen. That makes me sound like the silent type, my desire to avoid conversation. Writing in the New York Times, Marin speaks out for the silent minority of men who wait in hope for the patter of tiny feet. She couldn't believe that the ever silent Rebecca had actually spoken to her. Phrases the silent majority The majority of people, regarded as holding moderate opinions but rarely expressing them. 沉默的大多数；无言百姓 Example sentencesExamples ‘This is a most regrettable decision and accepting the fact they have put the document out to publication, they have chosen to ignore the silent majority of patients,’ he said. Fleming laments that existing surveys and studies have documented something about the vocal minority, but almost nothing about the silent majority. Could this pick up the protest vote from the silent majority? They are the silent majority who have never spoken until now. A little restraint will also help to listen more carefully to the disquieting, but meaningful, silence of the silent majority. They might not be the silent majority, but they are quite possibly a substantial minority who just might decide this election. We've been called the silent majority but the key word here is majority. So no one knows what the silent majority really thinks. However his experience suggests that noise nuisance is no longer being tolerated - and that is excellent news for the silent majority. This now begs the question, is it time for the silent majority to get off the fence and let its voice be heard? the silent treatment A stubborn refusal to talk to someone, especially after a recent argument or disagreement. 不予理睬，置之不理 Example sentencesExamples As I write, he's giving me the silent treatment. A Malton man and his wife were having problems and were giving each other the silent treatment. I figure one of us should be mature and cancel the silent treatment before the end of the year. Try something like, ‘I've noticed you give Jen the silent treatment when she comes over.’ She had ignored all of my phone calls last night, and I knew that today I would definitely receive the silent treatment. I won't give people the silent treatment, but I'll give them the ‘one word response’ treatment until I can calm down enough to have a discussion, or even a fight about the situation at hand. Although her father is not speaking to her and avoiding her calls, Olivia believes that he is too concerned about being the perfect father for him to give her the silent treatment for long. Tell someone why you're angry instead of giving them the silent treatment. He is infuriated and gives her the silent treatment all the way home, but she doesn't notice. My moms been giving me the silent treatment since we fought, it's been days now and I have given her tons of apologies but she just seems to ignore me totally. Origin Late 15th century (in the sense ‘not speaking’): from Latin silent- ‘being silent’, from the verb silere. adj.1 phr.
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