SILENT TREATMENT Synonyms: 17 Similar and Opposite Words

silent treatment

noun

Definition of silent treatment

as in dismissal

treatment that is deliberately unfriendly ever since our run-in at the party she's been giving me the silent treatment

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of silent treatment In the present, they’re awkwardly reunited for his brother’s destination wedding in Barcelona, following two years of mutual silent treatment. — Guy Lodge, Variety, 8 Jan. 2026 Destructive silent treatment creates an imbalanced power dynamic in the relationship. — Mark Travers, Forbes.com, 14 Sep. 2025 Brit greets everyone, including Kelli, who opts for the ever-mature silent treatment. — Shelby Stewart, Essence, 22 June 2025 Modern nineteenth-century prisons in various parts of the world, including in the British empire, began to model their own prisons off of the Eastern State Penitentiary, instituting separate and silent treatments that suppressed language. — Amir Hussain june 6, Literary Hub, 6 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for silent treatment

Recent Examples of Synonyms for silent treatment

Noun

From 2022 through 2025, 68 percent of Manhattan’s counterfeiting cases ended in adjournments in contemplation of dismissal (ACDs), compared with 17 percent of other Manhattan misdemeanor cases.

— Daniel Edward Rosen, Washington Post, 8 Oct. 2026
When a dismissal order and the driving record contradict each other, call the office that was supposed to transmit the update.

— Karen Koehler, Kansas City Star, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of dismissal

Noun

Perhaps this accident of birth is connected to the subtle rebuff of modern life in Marcon’s films.

— Matthew McLean, Artforum, 22 Sep. 2026
The rebuff contributes to the future civil war known as the Dance of the Dragons, in which Rhaenyra battles her half-brother Aegon II (Tom Glynn-Carney) for the seat of power.

— Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 30 July 2026

Definition of rebuff

Noun

In her rejection of stereotypically female fashion and her flair for the dramatic, Sanjak definitely would have fit in at Le Monocle.

— Gaby Iori October 7, Literary Hub, 7 Oct. 2026
In April, Americans for Financial Reform’s Education Fund released a study stating that the bank’s mortgage rejection rates for minorities in Charlotte and North Carolina far outpaced those of white applicants.

— Chase Jordan October 7, Charlotte Observer, 7 Oct. 2026

Definition of rejection

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silents

silent treatment

silent treatments

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“Silent treatment.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/silent%20treatment. Accessed 9 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of silent treatment

noun

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