quiet

See also: qui et

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Middle English quiete, from Old French quiet (adjective) and quiete (noun), from Latin quiētus, past participle of quiēscere (“to keep quiet, rest”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *kʷyeh₁- (“rest”). Doublet of coy and quietus.

Pronunciation[edit]

enPR: kwī'ĭt, IPA^(key): /ˈkwaɪ.ɪt/
(weak vowel merger) enPR: kwī'ət, IPA^(key): /ˈkwaɪ.ət/
Audio (US) (file)
Rhymes: -aɪət

Adjective[edit]

quiet (comparative quieter or more quiet, superlative quietest or most quiet)

With little or no sound; free of disturbing noise.
I can't hear the music; it is too quiet.
Having little motion or activity; calm.
the sea was quiet

a quiet night at home

all quiet on the Western front
Not busy, of low quantity.
The traffic was quiet for a Monday morning.

Business was quiet for the season.
- 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
  It was a casual sneer, obviously one of a long line. There was hatred behind it, but of a quiet, chronic type, nothing new or unduly virulent, and he was taken aback by the flicker of amazed incredulity that passed over the younger man's ravaged face.
Not talking much or not talking loudly; reserved.
He's a very quiet man usually, but is very chatty after a few beers.
Not showy; undemonstrative.
a quiet dress

quiet colours

a quiet movement
(software) Requiring little or no interaction.
a quiet install

Quotations[edit]

For quotations using this term, see Citations:quiet.

Synonyms[edit]

(with little sound): See also Thesaurus:silent
(having little motion): See also Thesaurus:calm
(not busy): slow, unbusy
(not talking): See also Thesaurus:taciturn
(not showy): modest, plain, simple

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

with little sound

Afrikaans: stil
Albanian: i qetë (sq)
Amharic: please add this translation if you can
Arabic: صَامِت (ṣāmit), هَادِئ (hādiʔ)
Egyptian Arabic: هادي (hādi)
Aragonese: please add this translation if you can
Armenian: հանգիստ (hy) (hangist), հանդարտ (hy) (handart)
Aromanian: tãcut
Asturian: quietu, silenciosu
Azerbaijani: səssiz (az)
Bashkir: шым (şım), тыныс (tınıs)
Belarusian: ці́хі (be) (cíxi)
Bengali: শান্ত (bn) (śanto), খামোশ (bn) (khamōś)
Breton: sioul (br)
Bulgarian: тих (bg) (tih)
Burmese: ဆိတ် (my) (hcit)
Catalan: silenciós (ca), tranquil (ca)
Chamicuro: chkesi
Cherokee: ᎡᎷᏪᎢ (eluwei), ᎡᏝᏪᎢ (etlawei)
Chickasaw: chokkíllissa
Chinese:
Mandarin: 安靜／安静 (zh) (ānjìng), 寧靜／宁静 (zh) (níngjìng)
Czech: tichý (cs)
Danish: stille (da), tyst
Dutch: stil (nl), rustig (nl), vredig (nl), geruisloos (nl), geluidloos (nl)
Esperanto: mallaŭta
Estonian: vaikne
Finnish: hiljainen (fi), äänetön (fi)
French: calme (fr), silencieux (fr)
Friulian: cuiet, cujet
Galician: silencioso, silandeiro, calmo
Georgian: ხმადაბალი (xmadabali), ჩუმი (čumi), წყნარი (ka) (c̣q̇nari), უხმაურო (uxmauro)
German: still (de), ruhig (de), leise (de)
Greek: ήρεμος (el) (íremos), σιγανός (el) (siganós), σιωπηλός (el) (siopilós)
Ancient: ἤρεμος (ḗremos)
Gujarati: please add this translation if you can
Hausa: shuru
Hebrew: שֶׁקֶט (he) (shakét)
Hindi: ख़ामोश (xāmoś)
Hungarian: csendes (hu), halk (hu)
Icelandic: hljóður (is)
Ido: quieta (io)
Ingrian: hiljain, äänetöin
Interlingua: quiete
Irish: ciúin
Italian: quieto (it), silenzioso (it)
Japanese: 静かな (ja) (しずかな, shizuka na)
Kannada: please add this translation if you can
Kazakh: тыныш (tynyş)
Khmer: ស្ងាត់ (km) (sngat)
Korean: 조용하다 (ko) (joyonghada)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھێمن (ckb) (hêmin), وسکت (wiskit)
Kyrgyz: тынч (ky) (tınc)
Laboya: kawannara, karadda, kaʼdanna
Lao: ງຽບ (ngīap), ຈ້ອຽ (chǭi)
Latin: tacitus, silens (la)
Latvian: kluss
Lithuanian: tylus
Luxembourgish: roueg, stëll, lues
Macedonian: ти́вок (tívok), тих (tih)
Malay: diam (ms), senyap (ms)
Jawi: ديام, سڽڤ
Malayalam: please add this translation if you can
Maltese: please add this translation if you can
Maori: māika, hū
Marathi: शांत (śānta)
Mirandese: please add this translation if you can
Mizo: reh
Mongolian: тайван (mn) (tajvan), тогтуун (mn) (togtuun)
Northern Sami: jaskat
Norwegian:
Bokmål: stille (no)

Nynorsk: stille
Occitan: silenciós (oc)
Odia: please add this translation if you can
Ottoman Turkish: صوص (sus), خاموش (hamuş)
Pashto: please add this translation if you can
Persian: خاموش (fa) (xâmuš), آرام (fa) (ârâm), کم صدا (kam sedâ)
Plautdietsch: stell
Polish: cichy (pl) m
Portuguese: quieto (pt), silencioso (pt)
Punjabi: ਚੁੱਪ-ਚਾਪ (cuppa-cāp)
Rajasthani: please add this translation if you can
Romanian: încet (ro), liniștit (ro), silențios (ro)
Russian: ти́хий (ru) (tíxij)
Samoan: fīlēmū
Sardinian: please add this translation if you can
Scottish Gaelic: sèimh, sàmhach, socair, ciùin
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ти̏х

Roman: tȉh (sh)
Sicilian: cuetu (scn), quetu (scn)
Sinhalese: නිශ්ශබ්ද (niśśabda)
Slovak: tichý
Slovene: tih (sl)
Sorbian:
Lower Sorbian: śichy
Spanish: quieto (es), silencioso (es), tranquilo (es), calmo (es), pacífico (es), silente (es), callado (es)
Swedish: tyst (sv), stilla (sv)
Tajik: паст (tg) (past)
Tamil: please add this translation if you can
Telugu: నిశ్శబ్దం (te) (niśśabdaṁ)
Tetum: nonook
Thai: เงียบ (th) (ngîiap), นิ่ง (th) (nîng), สงบ (th) (sà-ngòp)
Tongan: longo
Turkish: sessiz (tr)
Turkmen: ýuwaş, sessiz
Ukrainian: ти́хий (týxyj)
Urdu: خاموش (xāmoś)
Uzbek: tinch (uz)
Venetian: chieto, chiet, cet (vec), poxado, cucio
Vietnamese: yên tĩnh (vi) (安靜), im lặng (vi) (of a person)
Volapük: stilik (vo)
Walloon: påjhire (wa) m or f, påjhûle (wa) m or f
Yiddish: שטיל (shtil), רויִק (ruik)

having little motion

Armenian: հանգիստ (hy) (hangist), հանդարտ (hy) (handart)
Bashkir: тыныс (tınıs)
Basque: bare
Bulgarian: мирен (bg) (miren), спокоен (bg) (spokoen)
Catalan: quiet (ca), tranquil (ca)
Chickasaw: chokkíllissa
Czech: klidný (cs)
Dutch: rustig (nl), kalm (nl)
Esperanto: trankvila (eo)
Finnish: hiljainen (fi), rauhallinen (fi)
French: tranquille (fr), calme (fr), paisible (fr)
Galician: quieto (gl)
Georgian: წყნარი (ka) (c̣q̇nari), მშვიდი (mšvidi)
German: still (de)
Greek: ήσυχος (el) (ísychos)
Ancient: ἥσυχος (hḗsukhos)
Italian: calmo (it)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھێمن (ckb) (hêmin)
Latin: tranquillus
Maori: maho
Northern Sami: hiljit
Norwegian: rolig (no)
Ottoman Turkish: ساكن (sakin), دولك (dölek)
Persian: آرام (fa) (ârâm)
Polish: spokojny (pl) m
Portuguese: quieto (pt)
Romanian: liniștit (ro), calm (ro)
Russian: споко́йный (ru) (spokójnyj)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ми́ран, спо̏ко̄ја̄н

Roman: míran (sh), spȍkōjān (sh)
Sinhalese: නිශ්චල (niścala)
Spanish: tranquilo (es), detenido (es), quieto (es), calmo (es)
Swedish: lugn (sv)
Telugu: ప్రశాంతం (te) (praśāntaṁ)
Ukrainian: спокі́йний (spokíjnyj)
Walloon: påjhire (wa) m or f, påjhûle (wa)

not busy

Armenian: հանգիստ (hy) (hangist)
Catalan: poc (ca), mica (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 闲散 (zh) (xiánsǎn), 閒散／闲散 (zh) (xiánsǎn)
Danish: rolig (da), stille (da)
Dutch: rustig (nl)
Finnish: hiljainen (fi)
French: calme (fr)
Georgian: წყნარი (ka) (c̣q̇nari)
Greek: ήσυχος (el) (ísychos)
Japanese: 閑散たる (ja) (kansan taru), 閑静 (ja) (kansei)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھێمن (ckb) (hêmin)
Latvian: lēns
Norwegian: rolig (no)
Persian: آرام (fa) (ârâm)
Portuguese: calmo (pt), tranqüilo (pt)
Russian: ти́хий (ru) (tíxij)
Spanish: poco (es)
Swedish: lugn (sv)
Ukrainian: ти́хий (týxyj)

not talking

Armenian: լռակյաց (hy) (lṙakyacʻ)
Asturian: calláu, quietu
Bashkir: шым (şım), тыныс (tınıs)
Bulgarian: мълчалив (bg) (mǎlčaliv)
Catalan: silenciós (ca)
Chickasaw: chokkíllissa
Czech: tichý (cs)
Danish: stille (da)
Dutch: zwijgzaam (nl), stil (nl), rustig (nl)
Estonian: vaikne, tasane
Finnish: hiljainen (fi), vaisu (fi)
French: silencieux (fr), discret (fr)
Georgian: ჩუმი (čumi)
German: ruhig (de), still (de)
Greek: ήρεμος (el) (íremos)
Ingrian: hiljain, äänetöin
Italian: quieto (it), taciturno (it)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: وسکت (wiskit)
Latin: tacitus
Latvian: kluss
Maori: māika, whakatakupe
Norwegian:
Bokmål: stille (no)

Nynorsk: stille
Persian: آرام (fa) (ârâm), کم گوی (kam guy)
Portuguese: calado (pt), silencioso (pt)
Romanian: tăcut (ro), silențios (ro)
Russian: споко́йный (ru) (spokójnyj), ти́хий (ru) (tíxij)
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: ^{(please verify)} шу̀тљив

Roman: ^{(please verify)} šùtljiv (sh)
Sinhalese: නිශ්ශබ්ද (niśśabda)
Spanish: reservado (es), callado (es), silencioso (es)
Swedish: tyst (sv)
Telugu: మౌనం (te) (maunaṁ)
Turkish: suskun (tr)
Walloon: sins brut (wa)
Yiddish: רויִק (ruik)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Lithuanian: ^{(please verify)} ramus (lt) m, ^{(please verify)} tykus m
Tuvaluan: ^{(please verify)} filemu

Verb[edit]

quiet (third-person singular simple present quiets, present participle quieting, simple past and past participle quieted)

(transitive) To cause (someone or something) to become quiet.
Synonyms: quiet down, quieten

Can you quiet your child? He’s making lots of noise.

The umpire quieted the crowd so the game could continue in peace.
- 1631, Saint Augustine, “He Admires Gods Majesty, and is Inflamed with a Deepe Desire of Praising Him”, in William Watts, transl., Saint Augustines Confessions Translated: […], London: […] Iohn Norton, for Iohn Partridge […], →OCLC, book 1, paragraph 1, page 2:
  For thou haſt created us for thy ſelfe, and our heart cannot be quieted till it may fine repoſe in thee.
(intransitive) To become quiet or calm.
Synonyms: quiet down, quieten

When you quiet, we can start talking.

Translations[edit]

to cause (someone or something) to become quiet

Bulgarian: успокоявам (bg) (uspokojavam)
Catalan: calmar (ca)
Dutch: kalmeren (nl)
Finnish: hiljentää (fi), rauhoittaa (fi)
French: apaiser (fr), calmer (fr)
Friulian: cuietâ
Georgian: გაჩუმება (gačumeba)
German: ruhen (de)
Italian: calmare (it), placare (it)
Latin: pācō (la)
Maori: whakamūmū
Northern Sami: jaskkodahttit, váidudit
Polish: (sound) uciszać (pl) impf, uciszyć (pl) pf, (sound/motion) uspokajać (pl) impf, uspokoić (pl) pf
Portuguese: silenciar (pt), tranquilizar (pt), acalmar (pt)
Russian: успока́ивать (ru) impf (uspokáivatʹ), успоко́ить (ru) pf (uspokóitʹ)
Spanish: calmar (es), callar (es)
Swedish: tysta (sv)

to become quiet or calm

Bulgarian: стихвам (bg) (stihvam), успокоявам се (uspokojavam se)
Dutch: kalmeren (nl), rustig worden
Finnish: hiljentyä (fi), rauhoittua (fi)
French: s’apaiser (fr), se calmer (fr), se taire (fr), se tranquilliser (fr)
Georgian: გაჩუმება (gačumeba)
Northern Sami: jaskkodit, váidut
Old English: gestillan
Persian: ساکت شدن (fa) (sâket šodan), آرام شدن (fa) (ârâm šodan)
Polish: (exclusively for sound) uciszyć się pf, zamilknąć (pl) pf, (sound/motion) uspokajać się impf, uspokoić się pf
Quechua: upallay
Russian: успока́иваться (ru) impf (uspokáivatʹsja), успоко́иться (ru) pf (uspokóitʹsja)
Spanish: callar (es)
Swedish: tystna (sv)

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ^{(please verify)} ھێمن کردن (hêmin kirdin), ^{(please verify)} وسکت کردن (wiskit kirdin)
Norwegian: ^{(please verify)} tystne, ^{(please verify)} stilne (no)

Noun[edit]

quiet (plural quiets)

The absence of sound; quietness.
There was a strange quiet in the normally very lively plaza.

We need a bit of quiet before we can start the show.
The absence of movement; stillness, tranquility.
The absence of disturbance or trouble; peace, security.
- 1593, anonymous author, The Life and Death of Iacke Straw […], Act III:
  The King & his Nobles thinke they may ſleepe in quiet,
  Now they haue giuen vs a little holy water at the Court,
  But thers no ſuch matter, we be no ſuch fooles,
  To be bobd out with words and after come to hanging: […]

Translations[edit]

absence of sound

Adyghe: шъэфы (ŝɛfə)
Armenian: լռություն (hy) (lṙutʻyun)
Azerbaijani: səssizlik, sakitlik, sükut (az)
Bulgarian: тишина (bg) f (tišina)
Czech: ticho (cs) n
Danish: stilhed (da) c, ro (da) c
Egyptian:

(sgr)
Esperanto: kvieto
Finnish: hiljaisuus (fi)
French: silence (fr)
Georgian: სიჩუმე (sičume), სიწყნარე (sic̣q̇nare)
Greek: ησυχία (el) f (isychía)
Ancient: σιγή f (sigḗ), σιωπή f (siōpḗ)
Hindi: ख़ामोशी f (xāmośī)
Hungarian: csend (hu), nyugalom (hu)
Irish: ciúnas (ga) m
Italian: silenzio (it) m
Japanese: 沈黙 (ja) (chinmoku), 静寂 (ja) (seijaku)
Kabardian: щэху (kbd) (śɛxʷu)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھێمن (ckb) (hêmin), وسکت (wiskit)
Latin: silentium n
Latvian: klusums m
Northern Sami: jaskatvuohta
Portuguese: calada (pt) f, silêncio (pt) m
Punjabi: ਚੁੱਪੀ f (cuppī)
Russian: тишина́ (ru) f (tišiná)
Scottish Gaelic: sàmhchair f, tosd m
Spanish: silencio (es) m
Swedish: tystnad (sv) c
Telugu: నిశ్శబ్దం (te) (niśśabdaṁ)
Urdu: خاموشی (xāmośī)

absence of movement

Armenian: հանգիստ (hy) (hangist)
Bulgarian: спокойствие (bg) n (spokojstvie)
Danish: ro (da) c
Finnish: hiljaisuus (fi)
French: silence (fr), calme (fr) m
Georgian: სიწყნარე (sic̣q̇nare)
Greek: ησυχία (el) f (isychía)
Ancient: ἡσυχία f (hēsukhía)
Italian: pace (it) f, tranquillità (it) f
Japanese: 平静 (ja) (heisei)
Kurdish:
Central Kurdish: ھێمن (ckb) (hêmin)
Latin: quiēs (la) f
Old English: ǣmetta m
Portuguese: quietude (pt) f
Russian: споко́йствие (ru) n (spokójstvije), поко́й (ru) m (pokój)
Spanish: calma (es) f, tranquilidad (es) f
Swedish: lugn (sv) n

The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.

Translations to be checked

Georgian: ^{(please verify)} სიმშვიდე (simšvide), ^{(please verify)} სიჩუმე (sičume)

Interjection[edit]

quiet

Be quiet.
Quiet! The children are sleeping.

Related terms[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

quite

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

First attested in 1490.. Borrowed from Latin quiētus; compare also the Old Catalan form quet, queda, which was likely inherited.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): (Central, Balearic, Valencian) [kiˈet]

Adjective[edit]

quiet (feminine quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietes)

calm, stopped
quiet

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

quedar

Copallén[edit]

Noun[edit]

quiet

water

References[edit]

Willem F. H. Adelaar, The Languages of the Andes

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Borrowed from Latin quiētus, from quiēs (“rest”). Doublet of coi, which was inherited, and quitte, another borrowing.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): /kjɛ/
Audio (file)

Adjective[edit]

quiet (feminine quiète, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quiètes)

(rare, literary) tranquil, peaceful, placid
- 1921, Marcel Proust, Le Côté de Guermantes, section II:
  Alors en regardant, en écoutant Mme de Guermantes, je voyais, prisonnier dans la perpétuelle et quiète après-midi de ses yeux, un ciel d’Ile-de-France ou de Champagne se tendre […] .
  So when I watched and listened to Mme de Guermantes, I saw, a prisoner in the perpetual and placid afternoon of her eyes, an Ile-de-France or Champagne sky stretching out…

Usage notes[edit]

Its antonym inquiet is much more common.

Synonyms[edit]

See calme

Related terms[edit]

quiétude

Occitan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From Latin quiētus.

Pronunciation[edit]

IPA^(key): [ˈkjet]

Adjective[edit]

quiet m (feminine singular quieta, masculine plural quiets, feminine plural quietas)

calm, stopped
quiet

Synonyms[edit]

quiet

English[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Quotations[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Antonyms[edit]

Derived terms[edit]

Translations[edit]

Verb[edit]

Translations[edit]

Noun[edit]

Translations[edit]

Interjection[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Anagrams[edit]

Catalan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Copallén[edit]

Noun[edit]

References[edit]

French[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Usage notes[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

Related terms[edit]

Further reading[edit]

Occitan[edit]

Etymology[edit]

Pronunciation[edit]

Adjective[edit]

Synonyms[edit]

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