silence means be silent. It carries an Arena rating of 1735, earned across 3 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, silence ranks #2,592 of 14,423 for Most Sublime Words, #3,364 of 14,414 for Most Elegant Words, #3,624 of 14,340 for Most Vivid Words, #6,075 of 25,264 for Qualifying.
silence is pronounced /ˈsaɪ̯ləns/.
Why “silence” is a great word
A command or urgent request to cease all sound, to enter a state of utter auditory void. From Middle English silence, from Old French silence, from Latin silentium ("silence"), from silēns ("quiet, silent," present participle of silēre, "to be silent"). Unlike "quiet," which implies a soft hum of continued existence, or "reticence," a personal withholding of speech, silence demands an absolute cessation. It is the raised hand of a conductor halting the orchestra, the dense, woolly hush of deep snowfall, and the profound vacuum left in the wake of a door slammed in final anger—each a presence so full of absence it hums, the loudest thing in the room.
Etymology
From Middle English silence, from Old French silence, from Latin silentium (“silence”), from silēns (“quiet, silent”, present participle of silēre) + -ium. Displaced native Old English swīġe and sālnes.
intj
- Be silent.“Silence! Enough of your insolence!”
name
- A female given name from English.
noun
- The absence of any sound.“When the motor stopped, the silence was almost deafening.”
- The act of refraining from speaking.“"You have the right to silence," said the police officer.”
- Refraining from speaking, for purposes of prayer or meditation; especially, a form of worship practiced by the Society of Friends (Quakers) during meetings.“During silence a message came to me that there was that of God in every person.”
verb
- To make (someone or something) silent.“Can you silence the crowd, so we can start the show?”
- To repress the expression of something.“Women, as well as children, have their thoughts or emotions routinely silenced.”
- To suppress criticism, etc.“Silence the critics.”
- To block gene expression.
- To murder.“They, and others through the years, believed Ruby must have acted on his own since there was no logic to the supposition that anyone could trust an uncontrollable, unreliable loudmouth like Ruby to silence Oswald.”
Words closest in meaning
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