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When you can hear little to nothing, it dawns on you how quiet sounds like. Although quietness is associated with absence or loneliness, it's not always a bad thing. In the middle of silence, people tend to think harder, develop higher-awareness, realize things they never would have had they always faced the sound of music. Brave the quiet with the following slang words for it.
Slang Words for Quiet (in Alphabetical Order)
Between You and Me and the Wall
Meaning:
- (Expression) A vow to quiet a secret maintained between two persons and a non-human entity.
- Example: Your plastic surgery secret is safe with me. It’s just between you and me and the wall.
Clam Up
Meaning:
- (Verb) Based on the clam’s sealed and shut look, to clam up is to be quiet and refuse to talk.
- Example: The celebrity clammed up when asked about the dating issue.
Deafening Silence
Meaning:
- (Idiom) A dominant silence that makes everyone uncomfortable.
- Example: Sunny broke the deafening silence by popping the champagne.
Hold One's Tongue
Meaning:
- (Idiom) A popular slang to make someone quiet or stop talking.
- Example: Mother told us to hold our tongues while Church service is going on.
Lamblike
Meaning:
- (Adjective) Just like how a lamb looks gentle, to be lamblike is to be quietly submissive.
- Example: The lamblike secretary jots down whatever the CEO is saying.
Low-Key
Meaning:
- (Adverb) A slang word for doing something quietly and underhandedly.
- Example: Carson low-key switched up the cards before his playmates could notice.
Nize It
Meaning:
- (Verb) A Toronto slang for commanding someone to be quiet.
- Example:
Person 1: How dare Luna wear that knock-off Chanel dress?
Person 2: Nize it. Luna’s just over there.
Pipe it Down
Meaning:
- (Verb) To chide someone for being noisy.
- Example: Pipe it down class or else we’ll earn demerits.
Schtum
Meaning:
- (Adjective) A British slang with German origins for a person who is slow-witted and quiet.
- Example: Bullies call Gary a schtum in the hallways. He just looks the other way whenever they do.
Sleepyhead
Meaning:
- (Noun) A person who is always quiet and asleep.
- Example: The sleepyhead did not hear his friends call him out for lunch.
Soft-Spoken
Meaning:
- (Adjective) A person with a generally quiet and reserved personality.
- Example: The chess champion is a soft-spoken young man.
Still as a Mouse
Meaning:
- (Adverb) To do things stealthily.
- Example: Pickpockets are as still as a mouse whenever they do their acts.
Under One's Breath
Meaning:
- (Adverb) To speak in a low volume.
- Example: JP cursed under his breath when his boss came unannounced.
Under Wraps
Meaning:
- (Adverb) To keep a secret quiet.
- Example: The contest winners were under wraps until the producers said so.
Unruffled
Meaning:
- (Adjective) A still and quiet place.
- Example: The unruffled town was thrown into chaos when the rich family moved in.