1
as in quieted
mostly or entirely without sound
the muted cry of a frightened witness to a murder
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
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
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 muted
Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
The communal parts of the hotel have a similar vibe to the rooms, with neutral palettes and a few pops of muted decoration.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s why the company’s same-store-sales growth has been muted, limiting Home Depot’s earnings growth.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for muted
Adjective
After a moment of initial uncertainty, the markets quickly recovered—a muted reaction to what could have been a much larger, and much costlier, event.
—Will Gottsegen, The Atlantic, 31 Jan. 2026
The communal parts of the hotel have a similar vibe to the rooms, with neutral palettes and a few pops of muted decoration.
—Arati Menon, Condé Nast Traveler, 31 Jan. 2026
Verb
However, California’s enthusiasm for sports appears muted at the individual level.
—Jonathan Lansner, Oc Register, 5 Feb. 2026
That’s why the company’s same-store-sales growth has been muted, limiting Home Depot’s earnings growth.
—Jeff Marks, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026
See All Example Sentences for muted
Recent Examples of Synonyms for muted
Adjective
-
While the unit has benefited from a shift to digital game purchases and growth in the PlayStation Plus subscription service in recent quarters, hardware shipment growth has remained more subdued.—
Dylan Butts,
CNBC,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Meanwhile, after its deepest dip last spring, brand loyalty for Tesla has started to inch back up, possibly boosted by aggressive incentives and Musk’s more subdued persona, says S&P’s Libby.—
Bloomberg,
Mercury News,
5 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
And then there's Reinhardt's sinister robot sidekick Maximilian, a silent, malevolent presence who has no qualms about slicing up humans with his Swiss Army Knife-esque collection of torture devices.—
Richard Edwards,
Space.com,
8 Feb. 2026
-
For those asking whether the Heat would prioritize minutes for its young players after Thursday’s silent trade deadline, 19-year-old guard Kasparas Jakucionis did not play on Friday despite being healthy and in uniform.—
Anthony Chiang,
Miami Herald,
7 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Jena asked, for which she was shushed), that was spotted and strong enough to kill a man.—
Literary Hub,
Literary Hub,
8 Aug. 2025
Verb
-
Highway traffic may have muffled the sound of gunshots.—
Graham Womack
Updated January 15,
Sacbee.com,
16 Jan. 2026
-
Using context-aware algorithms, this technology can, for example, be used to help distinguish between speech and noise, predict and suppress unwanted clamor in real time, and attempt to clean up speech that is muffled or distorted.—
IEEE Spectrum,
IEEE Spectrum,
7 Jan. 2026
Adjective
-
Frontcourt production would rely on the Brazile-Richmond-Pringle trio again, should Ewin have a second quiet performance in a row.—
Matt Byrne,
Arkansas Online,
9 Feb. 2026
-
Meghan Markle forwent her usual quiet luxury style for Old Hollywood glamour in a custom Harbison Studio dress at the annual Fifteen Percent Pledge Fundraising Gala Honoring Tina Knowles on Saturday night in Los Angeles.—
Julia Teti,
Footwear News,
9 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
On the street, the Mazda3 hatchback carries itself with a restrained yet purposeful elegance.—
New Atlas,
New Atlas,
7 Feb. 2026
-
Arnold’s Heathcliff is much more fully developed as a character, in part due to the more restrained performances and Arnold’s highly sensory style.—
Cazzie David,
Vogue,
6 Feb. 2026
Adjective
-
Complicating matters is the fact that Maddie is deaf and mute, forcing her to utilize her other senses to stop the killer from claiming her as his next victim.—
Kevin Jacobsen,
Entertainment Weekly,
31 Jan. 2026
-
For this new work, Andrews has forged Sophocles’ Electra with Ingmar Bergman’s 1966 gripping classic, Persona, a film that starred Liv Ullmann and Bibi Andersson playing, respectively, a famous theatre actress, inexplicably struck mute, who is cared for by a young nurse.—
Baz Bamigboye,
Deadline,
26 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
When federal or state agencies move in and start taking the lead, that local voice is silenced.—
Joshua Simmons,
Sun Sentinel,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The measure was named after Trey Carlock, who died by suicide in 2019 after being silenced by an NDA in a settlement against Kanakuk Ministries.—
Judy L. Thomas,
Kansas City Star,
11 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Muted.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/muted. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
