mute

[ myoot ]

adjective

, mut·er, mut·est.

1. silent; refraining from speech or utterance.

   Antonyms: talkative

2. not emitting or having sound of any kind.
3. incapable of speech (offensive when applied to humans):

   Animals are mute and are only able to speak in fairy tales and fables.

4. (of letters) silent; not pronounced:

   The mute “e” in the word “dime” makes the preceding vowel long, so it is not pronounced like “dim.”

5. Law. (of a person who has been arraigned) making no plea or giving an irrelevant response when arraigned, or refusing to stand trial (used chiefly in the phrase to stand mute ).
6. Fox Hunting. (of a hound) hunting a line without giving tongue or cry.

noun

1. Offensive. a person incapable of speech.
2. an actor whose part is confined to dumb show.
3. Law. a person who stands mute when arraigned.
4. Also called sordino. a mechanical device of various shapes and materials for muffling the tone of a musical instrument.
5. Phonetics. (especially in older use) stop ( def 34b ).
6. British Obsolete. a hired mourner at a funeral; a professional mourner.

verb (used with object)

, mut·ed, mut·ing.

1. to deaden or muffle the sound of:

   The music was a little muted by distance and the trees.

2. to turn off (a microphone, a speaker, or audio):

   During the commercials, they muted the TV and discussed the game.

   Check the mic icon to make sure you're not muted.

3. to reduce the intensity of (a color) by the addition of another color.
4. to soften or subdue; moderate:

   His happiness about returning to the United States was muted by his concern for the other hostages.

mute

¹

/ mjuːt /

adjective

1. not giving out sound or speech; silent
2. unable to speak; dumb
3. unspoken or unexpressed

   mute dislike

4. law (of a person arraigned on indictment) refusing to answer a charge
5. phonetics another word for plosive
6. (of a letter in a word) silent

noun

1. a person who is unable to speak
2. law a person who refuses to plead when arraigned on indictment for an offence
3. any of various devices used to soften the tone of stringed or brass instruments
4. phonetics a plosive consonant; stop
5. a silent letter
6. an actor in a dumb show
7. a hired mourner at a funeral

verb

1. to reduce the volume of (a musical instrument) by means of a mute, soft pedal, etc
2. to subdue the strength of (a colour, tone, lighting, etc)

mute

²

/ mjuːt /

verb

1. (of birds) to discharge (faeces)

noun

1. birds' faeces

Usage

Using this word to refer to people without speech is considered outdated and offensive and should be avoided. The phrase profoundly deaf is a suitable alternative in many contexts

Sensitive Note

See dumb.

Derived Forms

• ˈmuteness, noun
• ˈmutely, adverb

Other Words From

• mute·ly adverb
• mute·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of mute¹

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English muet, mewet, muwet, from Old French müet, muet, diminutive formation of Old French mu, from Latin mūtus “dumb, inarticulate”; -et

Word History and Origins

Origin of mute¹

C14: muwet from Old French mu, from Latin mūtus silent

Origin of mute²

C15: from Old French meutir, variant of esmeltir, of Germanic origin; probably related to smelt ¹and melt

Example Sentences

I suppose that’s a mute question since you’re reading this.

From Los Angeles Times

Jupe, 11, but looking every inch 8, is impressive in a role that requires mute expressions of fear, anger, affectlessness, distrust and panic.

From Los Angeles Times

I remember watching Ford testify that a young Kavanaugh shoved her into a bedroom, pushed her onto a bed and covered her mouth to mute her screams.

From Los Angeles Times

Bush also understood the power of presidential proclamations and was thus largely mute when the Berlin Wall finally fell in 1989.

From Los Angeles Times

While CBS says it reserves the right to mute the candidates' microphones, they will remain on even when it isn't a candidate's designated turn to talk.

From BBC

Related Words

• dampen
• soften
• subdue