as in silence
incapacity for or restraint from speaking
we were baffled by his uncharacteristic muteness
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Recent Examples of muteness
Audrey Hudson, twenty-four, is a gifted battlefield surgeon who feigns muteness to comfort Carter Reynolds, a combat soldier deafened by an explosion.
—
Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Her media muteness gave her an icy cool, letting her work do the talking, both attributes that many luxury brands aspire to.
—Matteo Atti, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Chang Che, New Yorker, 25 Apr. 2026
Her media muteness gave her an icy cool, letting her work do the talking, both attributes that many luxury brands aspire to.
—Matteo Atti, Forbes.com, 11 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muteness
silence
Noun
-
By the time Josh Doan scored to put the Sabres up 2-0, Bruins fans were stunned into silence while Sabres fans were celebrating all around them.—
Matthew Fairburn,
New York Times,
27 Apr. 2026
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Several days after his defeat, five-term prime minister Viktor Orbán broke his silence.—
Steven P. Dinkin,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
26 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muteness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muteness. Accessed 3 May. 2026.
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