American English

Definition of quiet adjective from the Oxford Advanced American Dictionary



    (quieter, quietest)
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  1. 1making very little noise her quiet voice a quieter, more efficient engine Could you keep the kids quiet while I'm on the phone? He got very quiet (= did not say much) so I knew he was upset. “Be quiet,” said the teacher. She crept downstairs (as) quiet as a mouse.
  2. 2without many people or much noise or activity a quiet street They lead a quiet life. Business is usually quieter at this time of year. They had a quiet wedding. The hotel is in a quiet location near the sea. a quiet sea
  3. 3not disturbed; peaceful to have a quiet drink I was looking forward to a quiet evening at home.
  4. 4(of a person) tending not to talk very much She was quiet and shy.
  5. 5(of a feeling or an attitude) definite but not expressed in an obvious way He had an air of quiet authority.
    adverb to speak/move quietly I spent a few hours quietly relaxing. He is quietly confident that they can succeed (= he is confident, but he is not talking about it too much). a quietly-spoken woman
    noun [uncountable] the quietness of the countryside His quietness worried her.
  8. Idioms
    keep quiet about something, keep something quiet
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     to say nothing about something; to keep something secret I've decided to resign, but I'd like you to keep quiet about it. This story is too big to be kept quiet.
See the Oxford Advanced Learner's Dictionary entry: quiet

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