conspiracy of silence

noun phrase

: a secret agreement to keep silent about an occurrence, situation, or subject especially in order to promote or protect selfish interests

Examples of conspiracy of silence in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web The conspiracy of silence, as New York magazine has called it, unraveled after Biden’s catastrophic performance in the debate. The Editors, National Review, 21 July 2024 But there is a silver lining to all this: both Musharraf’s indictment and Mir’s defiance may mean that the military can no longer take for granted the conspiracy of silence that surrounds its unlawful actions. Aqil Shah, Foreign Affairs, 30 Apr. 2014 Consumed by their own suffering, most people simply didn’t want to know, and a conspiracy of silence was established. Giles Harvey, New York Times, 19 Dec. 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'conspiracy of silence.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1865, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of conspiracy of silence was in 1865

Dictionary Entries Near conspiracy of silence

Cite this Entry

“Conspiracy of silence.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/conspiracy%20of%20silence. Accessed 31 Oct. 2024.

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