/ ˈkwaɪət; NAmE / adjective , noun , verb
■ adjective ( quiet·er , quiet·est )
1.
making very little noise :
her quiet voice
a quieter, more efficient engine
Could you keep the kids quiet while I'm on the phone?
He went very quiet (= did not say much) so I knew he was upset.
'Be quiet,' said the teacher.
She crept downstairs (as) quiet as a mouse .
2.
without many people or much noise or activity :
a quiet street
They lead a quiet life.
Business is usually quieter at this time of year.
They had a quiet wedding.
3.
not disturbed; peaceful :
to have a quiet drink
I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home.
4.
( of a person ) tending not to talk very much :
She was quiet and shy.
5.
( of a feeling or an attitude ) definite but not expressed in an obvious way :
He had an air of quiet authority.
► quiet·ly adverb :
to speak / move quietly
I spent a few hours quietly relaxing.
He is quietly confident that they can succeed (= he is confident, but he is not talking about it too much) .
a quietly-spoken woman
► quiet·ness noun [ U ]:
the quietness of the countryside
His quietness worried her.
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IDIOMS
- keep quiet about sth | keep sth quiet
■ noun
[ U ] the state of being calm and without much noise :
the quiet of his own room
the quiet of the early morning
I go to the library for a little peace and quiet .
•
IDIOMS
- on the quiet
■ verb
~ (sb/sth) (down) ( especially NAmE ) to become calmer or less noisy; to make sb/sth calmer or less noisy
SYN calm (sb) down :
[ v ]
The demonstrators quieted down when the police arrived.
[ vn ]
He's very good at quieting the kids.
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WORD ORIGIN
Middle English (originally as a noun denoting peace as opposed to war): via Old French , based on Latin quies , quiet- repose, quiet.