Quiet Meaning
/ˈkwaɪ̯.ət/Definition, CEFR level A1, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
Listen pronunciation
Definition
adjWith little or no sound; free of disturbing noise.
adjHaving little motion or activity; calm.
Sentence Examples
To be quiet in class is to respect other people's sleep.
Nara is a quiet and beautiful city.
She accepted the criticism with quiet dignity.
CEFR Practice Quiz
The library is a very ____ place where no one talks loudly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The library was completely ____ except for the occasional rustle of pages being turned.
Word Origin & History
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, quit, quite, and quietus. Largely displaced native English still in the sense of "with little or no sound".
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"On the light streets, better streetcleaners, more trees, more police, and quieter buses were the most popular improvements, followed by cutting down the number of cars and improving children's play space."
— 1982, Donald Appleyard, Livable Streets, page 98:
"Before long, the unsuspecting salesman was earnestly pitching him "the quietest noisemaker on the market.""
— 1999 May 4, William Safire, “Essay; The Quiet Noisemaker”, in The New York Times:
"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."
— 1963, Margery Allingham, chapter 8, in The China Governess: A Mystery, London: Chatto & Windus, →OCLC:
"For women, it requires "quiet"-colored clothes, with fully covered collarbones, ankles, and knees."
— 2019, Abby Chava Stein, Becoming Eve, Seal Press, page 52:
"For thou haſt created us for thy ſelfe, and our heart cannot be quieted till it may fine repoſe in thee."
— 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:
Explore More A1 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
The library is a very ____ place where no one talks loudly.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
The library was completely ____ except for the occasional rustle of pages being turned.