quieter
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qui·et
(kwī′ĭt)adj. qui·et·er, qui·et·est
1. Making or characterized by little or no noise: a quiet library; a quiet street; a quiet, well tuned engine.
2.
a. Free of turmoil and agitation; calm: a quiet lake; a quiet place in the country.
b. Providing or allowing relaxation; restful; soothing: a quiet afternoon nap; a quiet tune on the flute.
3. Not showy or bright; subdued: a room decorated in quiet colors.
4. Restrained, as in style; understated: a quiet strength; a quiet life.
5. Out of public scrutiny; known or discussed by few: wanted to keep the incident quiet until after the election.
n.
The quality or condition of being quiet: "A menacing quiet fills the empty streets" (Time).
v. qui·et·ed, qui·et·ing, qui·ets
v.tr.
1. To cause to become quiet: The teacher quieted the students.
2. To make (a title) secure by freeing from uncertainties or adverse claims as to the ownership.
v.intr.
To become quiet: The child wouldn't quiet down for me.
[Middle English, from Old French, from Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere, to rest; see kweiə- in Indo-European roots.]
qui′et·ly adv.
qui′et·ness n.
Synonyms: quiet, silent, still1, noiseless, soundless
These adjectives mean marked by or making no sound, noise, or movement. Quiet suggests the absence of bustle, tumult, or agitation: "life being very short, and the quiet hours of it few" (John Ruskin).
Silent can suggest a profound hush: "I like the silent church before the service begins" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Still implies lack of motion or disturbance and often connotes rest or tranquility: "But after tempest ... / There came a day as still as heaven" (Tennyson).
Noiseless and soundless imply the absence of disturbing sound: "th' inaudible and noiseless foot of time" (Shakespeare)."the soundless footsteps on the grass" (John Galsworthy).
These adjectives mean marked by or making no sound, noise, or movement. Quiet suggests the absence of bustle, tumult, or agitation: "life being very short, and the quiet hours of it few" (John Ruskin).
Silent can suggest a profound hush: "I like the silent church before the service begins" (Ralph Waldo Emerson).
Still implies lack of motion or disturbance and often connotes rest or tranquility: "But after tempest ... / There came a day as still as heaven" (Tennyson).
Noiseless and soundless imply the absence of disturbing sound: "th' inaudible and noiseless foot of time" (Shakespeare)."the soundless footsteps on the grass" (John Galsworthy).
American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright © 2016 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.