Hushed — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

verb adjective /ˈhəsh/

Meaning & Definition of Hushed

Hushed (verb)

  1. calm, quiet
  2. to put at rest, mollify
  3. to keep from public knowledge, suppress
  4. to be quiet

Hushed (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. free from disturbing noise or uproar

    "entered the hushed interior of the Gothic church"

    similar: arcadian, calm, peaceful, placid, quiet, restful, serene, still, stilly, tranquil
    related: noiseless, silent, soundless, mute, speechless, wordless, dead, motionless, quiescent, muffled, muted, quieted, dull, gentle, low, soft, ultraquiet
    opposite: boisterous, clamorous, clattery, deafening, loud, noisy, raucous, rip-roaring, roistering, romping, rowdy, tumultuous, unquiet, uproarious, woolly
    near: crazy, tempestuous, wild, blaring, blasting, booming, earsplitting, piercing, roaring, thundering, thunderous

  2. free from storms or physical disturbance

    "the hushed lake was smooth as glass the morning after the storm"

    similar: calm, halcyon, lown (dialect), peaceful, placid, quiet, serene, still, stilly, tranquil, untroubled
    related: balmy, clement, equable, gentle, mild, moderate, temperate, clear, cloudless, fair, rainless, sunny, sunshiny, windless
    opposite: agitated, angry, inclement, restless, rough, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent, unquiet, unsettled
    near: blizzardy, blustery, squally, windy, extreme, foul, intemperate, nasty, severe

  3. mostly or entirely without sound

    "a hushed sickroom"

    similar: muted, noiseless, quiet, quieted, silent, soundless, still, stilly
    related: calm, peaceable, peaceful, serene, tranquil
    opposite: noisy, rackety, unquiet, uproarious
    near: boisterous, clamorous, clangorous, clattering, clattery, raucous, rip-roaring, roaring, roistering, tumultuous

  4. not known or meant to be known by the general populace

    "hushed negotiations between the two countries"

    similar: behind-the-scenes, confidential, esoteric, hush-hush, inside, intimate, nonpublic, private, privy, secret
    related: classified, restricted, top secret, silent, unadvertised, unannounced, undisclosed, unmentioned, unsaid, untold, clandestine, closet, collusive, conspiratorial, covert, furtive, hugger-mugger, occult, sneak, sneaking, sneaky, stealthy, surreptitious, undercover, underground, underhand, underhanded, personal, closeted, concealed, hidden, repressed, silenced, stifled, suppressed, backstage, offscreen, offstage
    opposite: common, open, public
    near: well-known, advertised, aired, announced, blazed, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged, enunciated, heralded, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, publicized, published, reported, spotlighted, general, popular, prevailing, vulgar, current, prevalent, rife, widespread, communal, shared

Hushed (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to become still and orderly

    "the whole room hushed when the queen made her entrance"

    similar: calmed (down), chilled out (slang), cooled, piped down, quieted, settled (down), cooled it
    related: dried up, relaxed, tranquilized, unwound, zoned out
    opposite: acted up, carried on, cut up
    near: clowned (around), fooled around, horsed around, monkeyed (around), showed off, skylarked

  2. to stop talking

    "the principal asked the children to hush and pay attention during the ceremony"

    similar: belted up (British), clammed up, dried up, dummied up, piped down, quieted (down), shut up, held one's tongue
    related: calmed (down), cooled (down), settled (down), hawed, hemmed
    opposite: spoke, talked
    near: piped up, sounded off, spoke out, spoke up, spouted (off), talked up

  3. to stop the noise or speech of

    "he tried to hush the baby by making a lot of silly faces"

    similar: dumbed, extinguished, muted, quelled, quieted, quietened (chiefly British), settled, shushed, shut up, silenced, squelched, stilled
    near: agitated, stirred

Related Entry: Hush (verb)

Hush is a different word from Hushed. The synonyms below are for hush, not for hushed.

  1. to become still and orderly

    "the whole room hushed when the queen made her entrance"

    similar: calm (down), chill out (slang), cool, pipe down, quiet, settle (down), cool it
    related: dry up, relax, tranquilize, unwind, zone out
    opposite: act up, carry on, cut up
    near: clown (around), fool around, horse around, monkey (around), show off, skylark

  2. to stop talking

    "the principal asked the children to hush and pay attention during the ceremony"

    similar: belt up (British), clam up, dry up, dummy up, pipe down, quiet (down), shut up, hold one's tongue
    related: calm (down), cool (down), settle (down), haw, hem
    opposite: speak, talk
    near: pipe up, sound off, speak out, speak up, spout (off), talk up

  3. to stop the noise or speech of

    "he tried to hush the baby by making a lot of silly faces"

    similar: dumb, extinguish, mute, quell, quiet, quieten (chiefly British), settle, shush, shut up, silence, squelch, still
    near: agitate, stir

Related Entry: Hush (up) (verb)

Hush (up) is a different word from Hushed. The synonyms below are for hush (up), not for hushed.

  1. to keep from being publicly known

    "the well-connected family was able to hush up the scandal so it never reached the papers"

    similar: burke, cover (up), suppress
    related: black out, censor, gag, muzzle, silence, quash, repress, smother, spike, squash, squelch, stifle, strangle, throttle
    near: debunk, expose, reveal, show up, uncloak, uncover, unmask, blab, disclose, divulge, spill, tell, unveil, broadcast, circulate, publish, spread, describe, narrate, recite, recount, rehearse, relate, report

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Hushed

The most common words with a similar meaning to Hushed:

Dialect: lown
Slang: chilled out
British: belted up
Chiefly British: quietened
arcadian, calm, peaceful, placid, quiet, restful, serene, still, stilly, tranquil, halcyon, untroubled, muted, noiseless, quieted, silent, soundless, behind-the-scenes, confidential, esoteric, hush-hush, inside, intimate, nonpublic, private, privy, secret, calmed (down), cooled, piped down, settled (down), clammed up, dried up, dummied up, quieted (down), shut up, dumbed, extinguished, quelled, settled

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Hushed

Words with the opposite meaning of Hushed:

boisterous, clamorous, clattery, deafening, loud, noisy, raucous, rip-roaring, roistering, romping, rowdy, tumultuous, unquiet, uproarious, woolly, agitated, angry, inclement, restless, rough, stormy, tempestuous, turbulent, unsettled, rackety, common, open, public, acted up, carried on

Related Words for Hushed

mute, speechless, wordless, dead, motionless, quiescent, muffled, dull, gentle, low, soft, ultraquiet, balmy, clement, equable, mild, moderate, temperate, clear, cloudless, fair, rainless, sunny, sunshiny, windless, peaceable, classified, restricted, top secret, unadvertised

Near Antonyms of Hushed

crazy, wild, blaring, blasting, booming, earsplitting, piercing, roaring, thundering, thunderous, blizzardy, blustery, squally, windy, extreme, foul, intemperate, nasty, severe, clangorous, clattering, well-known, advertised, aired, announced, blazed, broadcast, declared, disclosed, divulged

Word Forms of Hushed

Inflections: hushing, hushes, hushed up, hushing up, hushes up

Origin & Etymology of Hushed

back-formation from husht hushed, from Middle English hussht, from huissht, interjection used to enjoin silence

First known use: 1546t

Frequently Asked Questions about Hushed

What does "Hushed" mean?

"Hushed" means calm, quiet. As an a verb and an adjective, it is defined as: calm, quiet. It has 7 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Hushed"?

Other words for "Hushed" include arcadian, calm, peaceful, placid, quiet, restful, serene and still. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Hushed" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Hushed"?

There are 119 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Hushed". Common alternatives include arcadian, calm, peaceful, placid, quiet, restful, serene, still, stilly and tranquil.

What is the opposite of "Hushed"?

Antonyms of "Hushed" include boisterous, clamorous, clattery, deafening, loud, noisy, raucous and rip-roaring. Near antonyms include crazy, wild, blaring and blasting.

How do you use "Hushed" in a sentence?

Examples of "Hushed" in a sentence: "entered the hushed interior of the Gothic church"; "the hushed lake was smooth as glass the morning after the storm"; "a hushed sickroom".

Is "Hushed" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Hushed" can be used as a verb and an adjective, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Hushed"?

"Hushed" is pronounced /ˈhəsh/.

What is the origin of the word "Hushed"?

"Hushed" comes from back-formation from husht hushed, from Middle English hussht, from huissht, interjection used to enjoin silence. First known use: 1546t.