Meaning & use
quiet
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Making little or no noise.
Grammar: Comparable: quieter, quietest.
Patterns
- keep quiet
- a quiet voice
Please be quiet while the baby sleeps.
The engine is surprisingly quiet.
She spoke in a quiet voice.
adjectivecomparable
Calm and peaceful, with little activity or disturbance.
Grammar: Describes places and times: a quiet street.
Patterns
- a quiet place
We found a quiet corner in the library.
It was a quiet weekend at home.
The town is quiet in winter.
adjectivecomparable
Not talking much, or shy and reserved in manner.
Grammar: Describes people: a quiet student.
Patterns
- quiet by nature
He is a quiet boy who rarely speaks in class.
Her quiet manner hid a sharp mind.
adjectivebefore a noun
Private or discreet, not drawing public attention.
Grammar: Often before a noun: a quiet word.
Patterns
- have a quiet word with someone
The manager had a quiet word with him.
They held a quiet ceremony for family only.
noununcountable
A state of calm and silence.
Grammar: Uncountable: the quiet of the night.
Patterns
- the quiet of something
I enjoy the quiet of early mornings.
The quiet in the room was complete.
Word forms
| comparative | quieter |
|---|---|
| superlative | quietest |
Common combinations
- keep quiet
- Keep quiet about the surprise.
- peace and quiet
- I need some peace and quiet.
- quiet as a mouse
- She was quiet as a mouse.
- a quiet evening
- We had a quiet evening at home.
- go quiet
- The room went quiet.
Synonyms and how they differ
- silent
- Silent means making no sound at all, while quiet allows a little noise.
- peaceful
- Peaceful stresses calm and freedom from worry rather than low noise.
- reserved
- Reserved describes a person who does not share feelings, not a low voice.
- hushed
- Hushed suggests a deliberate, soft silence.
Opposites
Word family
Commonly confused: quiet or quite?
quiet vs quite
Quite is an adverb meaning fairly or completely; it is spelled with the e before the t.
Practice
The teacher asked the class to be ___ during the test.
Choose one answer.
After be, an adjective is needed, so quiet is correct. Quite and quit are different words, and quietly is an adverb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “quiet”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.