[si.lent] adj [ME sylent, fr. L silent-, silens, fr. prp. of silere to be silent; akin to Goth anasilan to cease, grow calm] (15c) 1 a: making no utterance: mute, speechless b: indisposed to speak: not loquacious
2: free from sound or noise: still
3: performed or borne without utterance: unspoken "~ prayer" "~ grief"
4. a: making no mention "history is ~ about this person" b: not widely or generally known or appreciated "the ~ pressures on a person in public office" c: making no protest or outcry "the ~ majority"
5: unpronounced "~ b in doubt"
6: not exhibiting the usual signs or symptoms of presence "a ~ infection"
7. a: made without spoken dialogue "~ movies" b: of or relating to silent movies -- si.lent.ly adv -- si.lent.ness n syn silent, taciturn, reticent, reserved, secretive mean showing restraint in speaking. silent implies a habit of saying no more than is needed "the strong, silent type". taciturn implies a temperamental disinclination to speech and usu. connotes unsociability "taciturn villagers". reticent implies a reluctance to speak out or at length, esp. about one's own affairs "was reticent about his plans". reserved implies reticence and suggests the restraining influence of caution or formality in checking easy informal conversational exchange "greetings were brief, formal, and reserved". secretive, too, implies reticence but usu. carries a suggestion of deviousness and lack of frankness or of an often ostentatious will to conceal "the secretive research and development division".
[2]silent n (1929): a motion picture made without spoken dialogue--usu. used in pl.