1
as in speechless
unable to speak
the child is both deaf and mute because her hearing was lost at birth
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in silent
deliberately refraining from speech
remained mute no matter how much we pleaded for an answer
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
as in quieter
a device on a musical instrument that deadens or softens its tone
I was practicing my trumpet at three in the morning when the mute fell out, and I managed to wake everyone up
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
2
as in to muffle
to deaden the sound of
closing the windows muted the traffic noise so we could get to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of mute
Samanta Schweblin, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025
Some elements, such as the emoji, mute, and screen share buttons, are at the bottom of the video client, while others, such as the chat module and participant list, are at the top right.
—PCMAG, 10 Mar. 2025
Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2021
Lenin, too, suffered from manic rage and erratic behavior, and died in his early fifties confined to a wheelchair after multiple strokes left him mute and paralyzed.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2016
Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
The song was rapturously received by pop fans and critics alike, but the commercial response to it was distinctly muted — seemingly leaving Gomez unsure of what to do next.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Adjective
The man stared at the Ukrainian soldiers for a moment, attentive to the mouths of those mute men talking over each other.
—Samanta Schweblin, The New Yorker, 26 Jan. 2025
Some elements, such as the emoji, mute, and screen share buttons, are at the bottom of the video client, while others, such as the chat module and participant list, are at the top right.
—PCMAG, 10 Mar. 2025
Noun
Idealizing the beauty of the bucolic landscape often minimizes the labor tied to it, and so Yu disrupts any sense of the natural world as mute and pleasant.
—Washington Post, 29 Sep. 2021
Lenin, too, suffered from manic rage and erratic behavior, and died in his early fifties confined to a wheelchair after multiple strokes left him mute and paralyzed.
—Rebecca Kreston, Discover Magazine, 1 Apr. 2016
Verb
Mortgage rates, however, were little changed the last month, which kept home loan demand muted .
—Jim Cramer, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2025
The song was rapturously received by pop fans and critics alike, but the commercial response to it was distinctly muted — seemingly leaving Gomez unsure of what to do next.
—Andrew Unterberger, Billboard, 27 Mar. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mute
Recent Examples of Synonyms for mute
Adjective
-
In helicopter video taken by Air Maui Helicopter Tours in Lahaina and posted online the people aboard are largely speechless.—
Phil Helsel,
NBC News,
10 Aug. 2023
-
Because his work, as is often the case, leaves us almost speechless.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
10 Jan. 2023
Adjective
-
So far, the ESA has been silent on Trump excluding video game consoles from his tariff exemptions.—
Michael Kan,
PC Magazine,
14 Apr. 2025
-
The Taliban are also silent on the other restrictions and whether there is any chance of removing them.—
Dr. Ewelina U. Ochab,
Forbes.com,
13 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Court officers guided them to seats on benches, instructing them to silence their cell phones.—
Victoria Bekiempis,
Vulture,
15 Apr. 2025
-
His detention is an attempt to silence those who speak out against the atrocities in Gaza.—
Josh Hammer,
MSNBC Newsweek,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
The blustery winds muffled the clank of wheels and thud of hooves.—
Andrew Lawler,
Smithsonian Magazine,
2 Apr. 2025
-
And the babble of their dog voices was muffled by the distance and the folds of the canyons.—
Frank C. Hibben,
Outdoor Life,
27 Feb. 2025
Noun
-
For one, the Los Angeles fires put a slight damper on the energy.—
Brian Welk,
IndieWire,
4 Feb. 2025
-
The catastrophic Southern California wildfires, combined with winter storms and the presidential inauguration, have put an understandable damper on the latest leg of awards season, with most of this year’s Oscar contenders stepping back from the usual campaigning in recent weeks.—
Patrick Ryan,
USA TODAY,
23 Jan. 2025
Verb
-
One day at the Scottish Open, a volunteer held up the quiet sign and shushed the crowd as Morikawa prepared to hit from the fairway.—
Brody Miller,
The Athletic,
6 Jan. 2025
-
Fathers shushed babbling toddlers as their wives snuck out to change infants’ diapers.—
Carlos Nogueras Ramos,
Chicago Tribune,
4 Mar. 2025
Verb
-
Grizzlies 120, Mavericks 106 Ja Morant quiets concerns about his ankle After a few days of concern over his ankle sprain, Morant quickly quieted all the questions about his health with a thunderous putback dunk in the first quarter, and the Grizzlies were off to the races from there.—
The Athletic NBA Staff,
New York Times,
19 Apr. 2025
-
That may quiet him down. – Regifting Dear Regifting: This gave me a good chuckle.—
R. Eric Thomas,
Mercury News,
15 Apr. 2025
Verb
-
Where conspiracies dumb us down to eventually believe that nothing is actually true?—
S.E. Cupp,
New York Daily News,
4 Feb. 2025
-
To dumb it down, think about how action figures of the past had limited points of articulation.—
Christopher Cruz,
Rolling Stone,
11 Sep. 2024
Cite this Entry
“Mute.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/mute. Accessed 22 Apr. 2025.
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