: the quality or state of being quiet (see quiet entry 2) : tranquility
1
a
: free from noise or uproar : still
a quiet room
The lights went down and the theater became quiet.
b
: making or involving no noise or very little noise
a quiet motor
a quiet conversation
Everyone suddenly went quiet.
Please be quiet—people are trying to study.
c
: tending to speak very little : not loquacious
He was a quiet, reserved person.
d
: unobtrusive, conservative
quiet clothes/colors
2
a
: marked by little or no motion or activity : calm
a quiet sea
At such an early hour, the streets seemed strangely quiet.
c
: not disturbed by noise or activity
quiet reading
a moment of quiet contemplation
: enjoyed in peace and relaxation
a quiet cup of tea
3
: secluded
a quiet nook
4
: carried out secretly or discreetly
quiet diplomacy
: not made known openly or publicly
worked with quiet determination
She had a quiet confidence about her.
He took a quiet satisfaction in a job well done.
quietly
adverb
quietness
noun
: in a quiet manner
an engine that runs quiet
quieted; quieting; quiets
1
: to cause to be quiet : calm
2
: to make secure by freeing from dispute or question
quiet title to a property
: to become quiet
—usually used with down
Synonyms
Noun
- calm
- calmness
- hush
- peace
- peacefulness
- placidity
- quietness
- quietude
- repose
- restfulness
- sereneness
- serenity
- still
- stillness
- tranquility
- tranquillity
Adjective
Adverb
Verb
Examples of quiet in a Sentence
Noun
My hostess told me she had some records I might like to hear and she called for quiet in the room. People sat down on the floor in groups, sharing bottles of wine and slivovitz. The host put the record on a windup record player and Lester Young's saxophone yowled out of the silence.
—
Maya Angelou, Gourmet, November 2002
When my parents needed peace and quiet, they didn't put me in front of the television to watch a "Baby Einstein" video; they plopped me in a chair to watch my mom do housework or cook.
—Robb Moretti, Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2002
the quiet of a wooded trail
Can I have some quiet here? I'm trying to study.
I need a little peace and quiet.
Adjective
Breakfast at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club, a members-only institution founded in the city now called Mumbai in 1846 by British colonial officers, is a meal of quiet elegance. The second-story veranda looks out over a small garden and, beyond that, the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel. Outside is the tumult of horse-drawn carriages, touts, and taxis. Inside is peaceful stillness, broken only by the sounds of crunched-on toast and rustling newspapers.
—Lyla Bavadam, Saveur, October 2008
One change I notice is that I get sleepy earlier than I used to, sometimes by 8:30 or 9 if I am having a quiet evening at home.
—Andrew Weil, Time, 17 Oct. 2005
I interviewed Virginia, who is totally blind, in a small local library. Walking with her guide dog, this young-looking woman arrived soon after I came in. We found a quiet corner to sit and talk while her dog settled beside her chair. At forty-three, Virginia was used to telling her story and found time for our interview in her busy travel schedule. She had just returned from San Francisco where she had spoken at the California Academy of Sciences and was about to leave for Montreal, Canada, to conduct workshops in diversity awareness.
—Mary Grimley Mason, Working Against Odds, 2004
Attributing their behaviors to their personal dispositions, we decide Julie is shy and Jack is outgoing. Because people do have enduring personality traits, such attributions are sometimes valid. However, we often overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the influence of situations. In class, Jack may be as quiet as Julie. Catch Julie at a party and you may hardly recognize your quiet classmate.
—David G. Myers, Psychology, 2001
the quiet hum of the refrigerator
He spoke in a very quiet voice.
Surprisingly, the class was quiet.
He's a very quiet person.
She has a quiet disposition.
During the morning, business was quiet.
Some days at the store are quieter than others.
a quiet stretch of road
He led a quiet life.
Adverb
lie quiet and no one will guess you're hiding under the bed
Verb
Clemens had few questions to answer about Piazza. The beanball and broken bat from 2000, and the Mets' tepid retaliation last season, were memories. And since Clemens recorded his 300th victory on June 13, the buzz around him has quieted.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 29 June 2003
When she walked down the hall past his classroom, the sounds of chaos came over the frosted-glass pane above the door. She had taken to making random visits; the sight of her in the doorway quieted the kids.
—Mary Gordon, Atlantic, May 1999
Even with that, Presser was so scared that he fled to Florida and moved from hotel to hotel till the gang war quieted down, with his side on top.
—A. H. Raskin, New York Times Book Review, 10 Dec. 1989
the museum docent told the rowdy youngsters to quiet down for the tour
quiet a crying toddler with candy
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Maya Angelou, Gourmet, November 2002
When my parents needed peace and quiet, they didn't put me in front of the television to watch a "Baby Einstein" video; they plopped me in a chair to watch my mom do housework or cook.
—Robb Moretti, Newsweek, 5 Aug. 2002
the quiet of a wooded trail
Can I have some quiet here? I'm trying to study.
I need a little peace and quiet.
Adjective
Breakfast at the Royal Bombay Yacht Club, a members-only institution founded in the city now called Mumbai in 1846 by British colonial officers, is a meal of quiet elegance. The second-story veranda looks out over a small garden and, beyond that, the Gateway of India and the Taj Mahal Hotel. Outside is the tumult of horse-drawn carriages, touts, and taxis. Inside is peaceful stillness, broken only by the sounds of crunched-on toast and rustling newspapers.
—Lyla Bavadam, Saveur, October 2008
One change I notice is that I get sleepy earlier than I used to, sometimes by 8:30 or 9 if I am having a quiet evening at home.
—Andrew Weil, Time, 17 Oct. 2005
I interviewed Virginia, who is totally blind, in a small local library. Walking with her guide dog, this young-looking woman arrived soon after I came in. We found a quiet corner to sit and talk while her dog settled beside her chair. At forty-three, Virginia was used to telling her story and found time for our interview in her busy travel schedule. She had just returned from San Francisco where she had spoken at the California Academy of Sciences and was about to leave for Montreal, Canada, to conduct workshops in diversity awareness.
—Mary Grimley Mason, Working Against Odds, 2004
Attributing their behaviors to their personal dispositions, we decide Julie is shy and Jack is outgoing. Because people do have enduring personality traits, such attributions are sometimes valid. However, we often overestimate the influence of personality and underestimate the influence of situations. In class, Jack may be as quiet as Julie. Catch Julie at a party and you may hardly recognize your quiet classmate.
—David G. Myers, Psychology, 2001
the quiet hum of the refrigerator
He spoke in a very quiet voice.
Surprisingly, the class was quiet.
He's a very quiet person.
She has a quiet disposition.
During the morning, business was quiet.
Some days at the store are quieter than others.
a quiet stretch of road
He led a quiet life.
Adverb
lie quiet and no one will guess you're hiding under the bed
Verb
Clemens had few questions to answer about Piazza. The beanball and broken bat from 2000, and the Mets' tepid retaliation last season, were memories. And since Clemens recorded his 300th victory on June 13, the buzz around him has quieted.
—Tyler Kepner, New York Times, 29 June 2003
When she walked down the hall past his classroom, the sounds of chaos came over the frosted-glass pane above the door. She had taken to making random visits; the sight of her in the doorway quieted the kids.
—Mary Gordon, Atlantic, May 1999
Even with that, Presser was so scared that he fled to Florida and moved from hotel to hotel till the gang war quieted down, with his side on top.
—A. H. Raskin, New York Times Book Review, 10 Dec. 1989
the museum docent told the rowdy youngsters to quiet down for the tour
quiet a crying toddler with candy
See More
Recent Examples on the WebPaul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023
In the quiet of their bedrooms, girls sized themselves up in the mirror and fretted.
—Valorie Lee Schaefer, ELLE, 22 Aug. 2023
From the roar of a crowd to the quiet of a library, sound and silence might seem like polar opposites.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2023
Photo: Viva Pedestrian activity picks up as soon as the barricades for the 34th Avenue open street in Jackson Heights are put in place at 7 a.m., the first wave of commuters emerging from the early-morning quiet.
—Curbed, 13 Apr. 2023
Russian bombs and missiles shattered the early-morning quiet in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and other cities on Feb. 24.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2022
In the quiet of your solitude, close your eyes, bow your head, grit your teeth, clench your fist, ache in your heart, vow and dedicate yourself to achieve.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023
But there was one voice that cut through the quiet of a losing streak.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2023
The Camry had just plowed its rear fender into the fence of Cazes’ two-story home, bending the front gate, dragging it off its rails, and creating a clamor that ripped through the quiet of an otherwise peaceful morning on the outskirts of the Thai capital.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2022
Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2023
Plus, the hotel features a cute Ocean Club for kids that include the Kids Zone where kids will get supervised activities and games, giving the parents a chance to duck out for a quiet dinner.
—Karen Cicero, Parents, 14 Sep. 2023
For a teenager accustomed to chaos, the quiet boredom of an empty apartment was maddening.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Keep in Mind There’s an option for a quiet crackling sound to accompany the flickering light, but it can be turned off with the remote.
—Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2023
But on many desks, experts agree, the quiet culprit is your mouse.
—WSJ, 14 Sep. 2023
At Kingsdown School next door, the grounds were preternaturally quiet.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Iglesias and others have implanted electrodes in cephalopods’ brains and captured their electrical activity during two sleep states—one that shows waking-like activity, and another that’s a quiet state, with neural signatures similar to ones observed in mammals.
—Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023
But, about a week into the new school year, Brittany noticed that Izzy had become quiet.
—James Ross Gardner, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2023
Kathryn Dill and Angela Yang, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022
Some workers just quiet-quit, doing the minimum to hold on to their jobs.
—Christopher Dinsmore, Baltimore Sun, 8 Dec. 2022
On another end were the quiet-seeking bedrooms and bathrooms, one with a step-down Roman shower.
—oregonlive, 7 Nov. 2022
The quiet-quitting phenomenon where employees simply perform their duties without going the extra mile to forgo hustle culture has been rippling through the workplace.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2022
The emergence of the quiet-quitting phenomenon isn't a fluke, experts say.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2022
Some of the same companies staying quiet now have spoken up on human-rights issues in other parts of the world.
—Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 23 Jan. 2022
This quiet-running progressive resistance bike trainer that offers a road-like feel is once again our top choice for the best model.
—Allen Foster, chicagotribune.com, 25 Sep. 2020
The Stadio San Paolo, Napoli's famed crumbling colosseum, erupted as Mertens headed home from Adrian's save, only to fall quiet after seeing the linesman's flag raised for an obvious offside.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 17 Sep. 2019
Victor Mather, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
But the Packers quickly quieted the crowd with a 61-yard touchdown drive.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023
During his second season — his most productive to date — Herbert quieted doubts about his ability to win amid hostility, leading the Chargers to victories at Kansas City, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
The mosaic tiles make a big textural statement quieted with pale gray paint.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2023
As the soundtrack quiets to a whisper of percussion to prepare a swell, the Frank look appears at the foot of the runway, worn by a new model.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2023
But some songs demand the coziness of a jazz club, where Smith’s lithe, velvety vocals can fill the space on their own — and quiet those around her.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2023
By then, the state’s crackdown had largely quieted the protests.
—Azadeh Moaveni, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2023
The overall result is a space that isn’t quite as tomb-like as the Taycan, but is extremely calming and quiet just the same.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2023
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Noun
The 724-person village, hugging the eastern shore of Cayuga Lake, is probably best known as the headquarters of MacKenzie-Childs, the homewares retailer that still paints its distinctive serveware by hand in the blissful quiet of this stretch of Cayuga County.
—Paul Brady, Travel + Leisure, 22 Aug. 2023
In the quiet of their bedrooms, girls sized themselves up in the mirror and fretted.
—Valorie Lee Schaefer, ELLE, 22 Aug. 2023
From the roar of a crowd to the quiet of a library, sound and silence might seem like polar opposites.
—Will Sullivan, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 July 2023
Photo: Viva Pedestrian activity picks up as soon as the barricades for the 34th Avenue open street in Jackson Heights are put in place at 7 a.m., the first wave of commuters emerging from the early-morning quiet.
—Curbed, 13 Apr. 2023
Russian bombs and missiles shattered the early-morning quiet in Kyiv, Ukraine’s capital, and other cities on Feb. 24.
—Washington Post, 17 Mar. 2022
In the quiet of your solitude, close your eyes, bow your head, grit your teeth, clench your fist, ache in your heart, vow and dedicate yourself to achieve.
—Kevin Sherrington, Dallas News, 20 Apr. 2023
But there was one voice that cut through the quiet of a losing streak.
—Los Angeles Times, 11 Jan. 2023
The Camry had just plowed its rear fender into the fence of Cazes’ two-story home, bending the front gate, dragging it off its rails, and creating a clamor that ripped through the quiet of an otherwise peaceful morning on the outskirts of the Thai capital.
—Andy Greenberg, WIRED, 22 Nov. 2022
Adjective
So choice looks like private workspaces, phone booth cubicles, private, quiet libraries, small three to four person conference rooms.
—Fortune Editors, Fortune, 15 Sep. 2023
Plus, the hotel features a cute Ocean Club for kids that include the Kids Zone where kids will get supervised activities and games, giving the parents a chance to duck out for a quiet dinner.
—Karen Cicero, Parents, 14 Sep. 2023
For a teenager accustomed to chaos, the quiet boredom of an empty apartment was maddening.
—Hailey Branson-Potts, Los Angeles Times, 14 Sep. 2023
Keep in Mind There’s an option for a quiet crackling sound to accompany the flickering light, but it can be turned off with the remote.
—Maya Polton, Better Homes & Gardens, 14 Sep. 2023
But on many desks, experts agree, the quiet culprit is your mouse.
—WSJ, 14 Sep. 2023
At Kingsdown School next door, the grounds were preternaturally quiet.
—Megan Specia, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
Iglesias and others have implanted electrodes in cephalopods’ brains and captured their electrical activity during two sleep states—one that shows waking-like activity, and another that’s a quiet state, with neural signatures similar to ones observed in mammals.
—Carolyn Wilke, Smithsonian Magazine, 13 Sep. 2023
But, about a week into the new school year, Brittany noticed that Izzy had become quiet.
—James Ross Gardner, The New Yorker, 13 Sep. 2023
Adverb
Cue the quiet-quitting backlash: The concept has sparked a flood of vehement commentary from business leaders, career coaches and other professionals lamenting what the shift away from hustle culture means for Americans’ commitment to their jobs, while some young professionals are praising it.
—Kathryn Dill and Angela Yang, WSJ, 25 Aug. 2022
Some workers just quiet-quit, doing the minimum to hold on to their jobs.
—Christopher Dinsmore, Baltimore Sun, 8 Dec. 2022
On another end were the quiet-seeking bedrooms and bathrooms, one with a step-down Roman shower.
—oregonlive, 7 Nov. 2022
The quiet-quitting phenomenon where employees simply perform their duties without going the extra mile to forgo hustle culture has been rippling through the workplace.
—Sheryl Estrada, Fortune, 2 Nov. 2022
The emergence of the quiet-quitting phenomenon isn't a fluke, experts say.
—Aimee Picchi, CBS News, 24 Aug. 2022
Some of the same companies staying quiet now have spoken up on human-rights issues in other parts of the world.
—Georgi Kantchev, WSJ, 23 Jan. 2022
This quiet-running progressive resistance bike trainer that offers a road-like feel is once again our top choice for the best model.
—Allen Foster, chicagotribune.com, 25 Sep. 2020
The Stadio San Paolo, Napoli's famed crumbling colosseum, erupted as Mertens headed home from Adrian's save, only to fall quiet after seeing the linesman's flag raised for an obvious offside.
—Matias Grez, CNN, 17 Sep. 2019
Verb
After a forgettable first season (.240, 34 home runs), Olson has quieted the doubters this year.
—Victor Mather, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023
But the Packers quickly quieted the crowd with a 61-yard touchdown drive.
—The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023
During his second season — his most productive to date — Herbert quieted doubts about his ability to win amid hostility, leading the Chargers to victories at Kansas City, Philadelphia and Cincinnati.
—Jeff Miller, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
The mosaic tiles make a big textural statement quieted with pale gray paint.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 4 Sep. 2023
As the soundtrack quiets to a whisper of percussion to prepare a swell, the Frank look appears at the foot of the runway, worn by a new model.
—Nathan Heller, Vogue, 29 Aug. 2023
But some songs demand the coziness of a jazz club, where Smith’s lithe, velvety vocals can fill the space on their own — and quiet those around her.
—Heran Mamo, Billboard, 28 Aug. 2023
By then, the state’s crackdown had largely quieted the protests.
—Azadeh Moaveni, The New Yorker, 7 Aug. 2023
The overall result is a space that isn’t quite as tomb-like as the Taycan, but is extremely calming and quiet just the same.
—Tim Stevens, Robb Report, 25 Aug. 2023
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These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'quiet.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Noun
Middle English quiet, quiete, borrowed from Anglo-French quiete, borrowed from Latin quiēt-, quiēs "repose, sleep, rest, peaceful conditions," going back to Indo-European *kwi̯eh1-ti-, noun derivative of a verbal base *kwi̯eh1- "have a rest," whence Avestan š́iiā- "be glad," Old Church Slavic počijǫ, počiti "to have a rest" (causative pokojǫ, pokoiti "to calm, quiet"), Armenian hangeaw "has rested," and (from deverbal *kwi̯eh1-to-) Avestan š́iiāta- "peaceful, happy," Old Persian šiyāta-, Latin quiētus "at rest, quiet entry 2"
Adjective
Middle English quyet, quyete, quiete, borrowed from Anglo-French & Middle French quiete, borrowed from Latin quiētus "at rest, inactive, peaceful" — more at quiet entry 1
Adverb
derivative of quiet entry 2
Verb
Middle English quieten, borrowed from Late Latin quiētāre "to become quiet, make quiet, put to rest," derivative of Latin quiētus "at rest, quiet entry 2"
First Known Use
Noun
14th century, in the meaning defined above
Adjective
14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2b
Adverb
1573, in the meaning defined above
Verb
14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1
Time Traveler
The first known use of quiet was
in the 14th century
Phrases Containing quiet
Dictionary Entries Near quiet
Cite this Entry
“Quiet.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/quiet. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
quiet
1 of 3 noun
qui·et
ˈkwī-ət 
: the quality or state of being quiet
quiet
2 of 3 adjective1
a
: marked by little or no motion, activity, or noise : calm
b
: gentle entry 1 sense 2b, easygoing
a quiet disposition
c
: not disturbed : peaceful
enjoyed a quiet dinner for two
2
: not colorful or showy : conservative
quiet clothes
3
: hidden from public view
a quiet corner
quiet
adverb
quietly
adverb
quietness
noun
quiet
3 of 3 verb
: to make or become quiet
quieter
noun
Legal Definition
quiet
1 of 2 adjective
qui·et
: free from disturbance, interference, or dispute (as from an adverse claim)
quiet enjoyment of property
quiet
2 of 2 transitive verb
: to establish or make (title) secure by means of an action that produces a final determination of the respective rights of parties who are in dispute over property compare cloud on title
More from Merriam-Webster on quiet
Nglish: Translation of quiet for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of quiet for Arabic Speakers
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