Quiet — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

noun adjective adverb verb /ˈkwī-ət/ qui·et

Meaning & Definition of Quiet

Quiet (noun)

  1. the quality or state of being quiet, tranquility

Quiet (adjective)

  1. free from noise or uproar, still
  2. making or involving no noise or very little noise
  3. tending to speak very little, not loquacious

Quiet (adverb)

  1. in a quiet manner

Quiet (verb)

  1. to cause to be quiet, calm
  2. to make secure by freeing from dispute or question
  3. to become quiet —usually used with down

Quiet (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. free from disturbing noise or uproar

    "left the din of the rock concert and went to a quiet restaurant where we could hear one another talk"

    similar: arcadian, calm, hushed, peaceful, placid, 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. mostly or entirely without sound

    "a diver who loves to retreat to the quiet world beneath the surface of the sea"

    similar: hushed, muted, noiseless, 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

  3. not excessively showy

    "she decided that it would be best to wear a quiet business suit to the job interview"

    similar: conservative, low-key, muted, repressed, restrained, sober, subdued, toned-down, understated, unflashy, unpretentious
    related: appropriate, becoming, fit, fitting, proper, suitable, modest, plain, simple, unadorned, undecorated, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unobtrusive, graceful, handsome, refined, tasteful, drab, mousy, practical, sensible
    opposite: flamboyant, flaring, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, loud, noisy, ostentatious, razzle-dazzle, splashy, swank
    near: meretricious, graceless, inelegant, tacky, tasteless, tawdry, trashy, vulgar, baroque, fancy, frilly, gilded, ornate, rococo, overdecorated, overdone, overwrought

  4. free from storms or physical disturbance

    "a quiet interlude as the eye of the storm passed over us"

    similar: calm, halcyon, hushed, lown (dialect), peaceful, placid, 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

  5. screened or sequestered from view

    "a quiet little house set far back from the street"

    similar: cloistered, covert, hidden, isolated, remote, retired, secluded, secret, sheltered
    related: lone, lonely, lonesome, reclusive, solitary, private
    near: obvious, visible, exposed

  6. not loud in pitch or volume

    "quiet music is generally more relaxing"

    similar: dull, gentle, low, soft
    related: dead, silent, still, calm, dreamy, hushed, peaceful, restful, serene, soothing, stilly, tranquil, muffled, muted, softened, toned (down)
    opposite: blaring, blasting, booming, clamorous, clangorous, deafening, earsplitting, loud, overloud, piercing, plangent, resounding, ringing, roaring, sonorous, stentorian, thundering, thunderous
    near: brazen, crashing, dinning, discordant, noisy, obstreperous, raucous, rip-roaring, vociferous, grating, harsh, shrill, squealing, strident, clarion, clear, trumpetlike

Quiet (adverb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. without motion

    "lie quiet and no one will guess you're hiding under the bed"

    similar: motionlessly, quietly, still
    related: immovably, inactively
    near: movably

Quiet (noun) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. a state of freedom from storm or disturbance

    "sailors enjoying the quiet of a clear evening at sea"

    similar: calm, calmness, hush, peace, peacefulness, placidity, quietness, quietude, repose, restfulness, sereneness, serenity, still, stillness, tranquility
    related: lull, pause, respite, silence, mildness, soothingness, comity, concord, harmony, casualness, easygoingness, informality, laid-backness, relaxedness
    opposite: bustle, commotion, hubbub, hurly-burly, pandemonium, tumult, turmoil, unquietness, unrest, uproar
    near: clamor, din, noise, racket

  2. the near or complete absence of sound

    "new parents appreciating the blessed quiet that comes when their baby finally falls asleep"

    similar: hush, quietness, quietude, silence, still, stillness
    related: calm, lull, peace, peacefulness, tranquility
    opposite: noise, sound, unquietness
    near: babel, blare, bluster, cacophony, chatter, clamor, clangor, din, hubbub, racket, rattle, roar, tumult, uproar

Quiet (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. to become still and orderly

    "the museum docent told the rowdy youngsters to quiet down for the tour"

    similar: calm (down), chill out (slang), cool, hush, pipe down, 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 free from distress or disturbance

    "quiet a crying toddler with candy"

    similar: becalm, calm, compose, lull, lullaby, quieten (chiefly British), salve, settle, soothe, still, tranquilize
    related: appease, conciliate, hush, mollify, pacify, placate, allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, lay, mitigate, quell, relax, relieve, solace, narcotize, sedate, stupefy
    opposite: agitate, discompose, disquiet, disturb, key (up), perturb, upset, vex
    near: aggravate, heighten, intensify, arouse, excite, foment, incite, rouse, stir (up), work up

  3. to stop the noise or speech of

    "the nanny could quiet unruly children with just a look"

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

Related Entry: Quiet (down) (verb)

Quiet (down) is a different word from Quiet. The synonyms below are for quiet (down), not for quiet.

  1. to stop talking

    "the kids quieted down when they realized I was about to ask them if they wanted ice cream"

    similar: belt up (British), clam up, dry up, dummy up, hush, pipe 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

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Quiet

The most common words with a similar meaning to Quiet:

Dialect: lown
Slang: chill out
Chiefly British: quieten
arcadian, calm, hushed, peaceful, placid, restful, serene, still, stilly, tranquil, muted, noiseless, quieted, silent, soundless, conservative, low-key, repressed, restrained, sober, subdued, toned-down, understated, unflashy, unpretentious, halcyon, untroubled, cloistered, covert, hidden, isolated, remote, retired, secluded, secret, sheltered, dull, gentle, low, soft

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Quiet

Words with the opposite meaning of Quiet:

boisterous, clamorous, clattery, deafening, loud, noisy, raucous, rip-roaring, roistering, romping, rowdy, tumultuous, unquiet, uproarious, woolly, rackety, flamboyant, flaring, flashy, garish, gaudy, glitzy, ostentatious, razzle-dazzle, splashy, swank, agitated, angry, inclement, restless

Related Words for Quiet

speechless, wordless, dead, motionless, quiescent, muffled, ultraquiet, peaceable, appropriate, becoming, fit, fitting, proper, suitable, modest, plain, simple, unadorned, undecorated, inconspicuous, unnoticeable, unobtrusive, graceful, handsome, refined, tasteful, drab, mousy, practical, sensible

Near Antonyms of Quiet

crazy, wild, clattering, meretricious, graceless, inelegant, tacky, tasteless, tawdry, trashy, vulgar, baroque, fancy, frilly, gilded, ornate, rococo, overdecorated, overdone, overwrought, blizzardy, blustery, squally, windy, extreme, foul, intemperate, nasty, severe, obvious

Word Forms of Quiet

Inflections: quieted, quieting, quiets

Derived words: quietly (adverb), quietness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Quiet

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:2"

First known use: 14th century

Vocabulary Lists & Topics for Quiet

Words & Phrases Containing Quiet

quiet quit, quiet quitter, quiet quitting, quiet down, on the quiet

Frequently Asked Questions about Quiet

What does "Quiet" mean?

"Quiet" means the quality or state of being quiet, tranquility. As an a noun, an adjective, an adverb and a verb, it is defined as: the quality or state of being quiet, tranquility. It has 12 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Quiet"?

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

What are different ways to say "Quiet"?

There are 166 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Quiet". Common alternatives include arcadian, calm, hushed, peaceful, placid, restful, serene, still, stilly and tranquil.

What is the opposite of "Quiet"?

Antonyms of "Quiet" include boisterous, clamorous, clattery, deafening, loud, noisy, raucous and rip-roaring. Near antonyms include crazy, wild, clattering and meretricious.

How do you use "Quiet" in a sentence?

Examples of "Quiet" in a sentence: "left the din of the rock concert and went to a quiet restaurant where we could hear one another talk"; "a diver who loves to retreat to the quiet world beneath the surface of the sea"; "she decided that it would be best to wear a quiet business suit to the job interview".

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

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

Is "Quiet" useful for IELTS, TOEFL, and other English exams?

As an A1-level word, "Quiet" is typical of Cambridge A1 Movers (Young Learners), TOEIC Listening & Reading 120+.

How do you pronounce "Quiet"?

"Quiet" is pronounced /ˈkwī-ət/ and divided into syllables as qui·et.