1
as in quieted
mostly or entirely without sound
the muted cry of a frightened witness to a murder
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in subdued
not excessively showy
painted with muted colors
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
3
as in silent
deliberately refraining from speech
she was unexpectedly muted in the presence of her literary idol
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1
2
as in muffled
to deaden the sound of
closing the windows muted the traffic noise so we could get to sleep
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of muted
Ben Travers, IndieWire, 8 Jan. 2026
The latest unemployment claims data – considered the best proxy for layoff activity – showed that initial filings remained muted.
—Alicia Wallace, CNN Money, 8 Jan. 2026
Dominic Patten, Deadline, 4 Nov. 2025
David Paul Morris | Bloomberg | Getty Images While the impact so far this year has been muted, tariffs are expected to catch up with prices consumers pay just in time for the holiday shopping season.
—Jeff Cox, CNBC, 31 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for muted
Adjective
And the big reveal, so preciously protected until the very end, isn’t clever enough to distract from such a muted build-up.
—Verb
Sure there were some TV ads and billboards on inland highways, but the impact proved muted.
—Recent Examples of Synonyms for muted
Adjective
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More subdued is the second iteration, which features a white base with cream overlays.—
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For the best mood-boosting environment, Wadden suggests balancing the brighter color with more subdued neutrals.—
Adjective
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As Jaclyn and Kate wax poetic about a dream vacation that never happened, Laurie’s weary, silent glances seem to tee up an explosive confrontation.—
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Tisdale refused to stay silent, and texted the group after being left behind on another plan.—
Verb
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Jena asked, for which she was shushed), that was spotted and strong enough to kill a man.—
Verb
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The boy buried his face in his hands, and the thick nest of hair shook as if in a wind, and the sobs, though muffled, grew louder.—
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Ignore that muffled screaming in the distance, that’s just the TV overlords punching air.—
Adjective
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The lightweight fabric is also quiet, so you won’t be awoken from crinkling material.—
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The family settled in a quiet residential street of older homes and multifamily buildings, some front porches festooned with pride flags still twinkling with holiday lights.—
Adjective
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Flanagan stars as Betty, a proud but emotionally restrained mother struggling with her daughter’s return, while Crowley plays Áine’s father Seamus.—
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The year 2025 saw high levels of deadly violence around the world, as conflicts grew less restrained, with civilians increasingly victims of attacks by governments and non-state actors alike, according to monitoring data.—
Adjective
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When Hall proves too mute to debate, Kiritsis vents to a radio disc jockey named Fred (Colman Domingo), even though Fred is more interested in smooth tunes than hard news.—
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Two streetlamps engaged in a mute but luminous dialogue, an indecipherable Morse code, alluding to the silent exchanges and secret ciphers of strangers who meet there for their trysts.—
Verb
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Do not let the voices of my courageous compatriots be silenced.—
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But other than that, the music has mostly been silenced, and that appears poised to change.—
Cite this Entry
“Muted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muted. Accessed 12 Jan. 2026.
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