quiet
/ˈkwaɪ̯.ət/ adjective, verb, noun, interjection
Forms quieter quietest quiets quieting quieted
- adjective With little or no sound; free of disturbing noise. “I can't hear the music; it is too quiet.”
- adjective Having little motion or activity; calm. “the sea was quiet”
- adjective Not busy, of low quantity. “The traffic was quiet for a Monday morning.”
- adjective Not talking much or not talking loudly; reserved. “He's a very quiet man usually, but is very chatty after a few beers.”
- adjective Not showy; undemonstrative. “a quiet dress”
- adjective (software) Requiring little or no interaction. “a quiet install”
- verb (transitive) To cause (someone or something) to become quiet. “Can you quiet your child? He’s making lots of noise.”
- verb (intransitive) To become quiet or calm. “When you quiet, we can start talking.”
- noun The absence of sound; quietness. “There was a strange quiet in the normally very lively plaza.”
- noun The absence of movement; stillness, tranquility.
- noun The absence of disturbance or trouble; peace, security.
- interjection Be quiet. “Quiet! The children are sleeping.”
Synonyms
hushed muffled placid serene calm steady collected composed cool-headed equable equanimous equanimitable even-keeled even-minded even-tempered imperturbable laid-back level-headed mellow pacate lull tranquillity tranquility silence repose placidity serenity quieten hush quiesce
Antonyms
loud blaring blasting booming cacophonous clangorous clamorous clattering deafening dinsome earsplitting noisy unquiet active
Etymology
From Middle English quiete, from Old French quiet (adjective) and quiete (noun), from Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere (“to keep quiet, rest”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“rest”). Doublet of coy, quit, quite, and quietus. Largely displaced native English still in the sense of "with little or no sound".
Webster’s 1913
- adjective In a state of rest or calm; without stir, motion, or agitation; still; as, a quiet sea; quiet air. They . . . were quiet all the night, saying, In the morning, when it is day, we shall kill him. Judg. xvi. 2.
- adjective Free from noise or disturbance; hushed; still.
- adjective The quality or state of being quiet, or in repose; as an hour or a time of quiet.
- adjective Freedom from disturbance, noise, or alarm; stillness; tranquillity; peace; security.
Etymology [L. quietus, p. p. pf quiescere to rest, keep quiet; akin to quies rest, and prob. to E. while, n. See While, and cf. Coy, a., Quiesce, Quietus, Quit, a., Quite, Requiem.]
Etymology [L. quies, -etis. See Quiet, a.]
Sources: Wiktionary · WordNet 3.0 · Webster’s 1913 — from the Wiktionary entry “quiet”, CC BY-SA 4.0. Details