hushed

American  

[huhsht] / hʌʃt /

adjective

1. (of speech) deliberately quiet, especially when silence is prudent, respectful, or requested.

   Only an occasional whisper could be heard among our hushed voices.

2. (of a place or situation) having a calm silence, often because those in attendance are being respectful or are waiting to hear something: sitting nervously in the hushed courtroom.

   the hushed galleries of a museum;

   sitting nervously in the hushed courtroom.

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Other Word Forms

• hushedly adverb

Etymology

Origin of hushed

First recorded in 1600–10; hush ( def. ) + -ed ² ( def. )

Example Sentences

Hard to say, but Scotland were hushed for too long in this game, too respectful of the visitors, not aggressive enough and too easily brushed off the ball, too flat, not enough edge.

From BBC • Mar. 28, 2026

"Right now I think we just need something positive," the 38-year-old Black woman and Virginia native told AFP moments later in a hushed voice.

From Barron's • Feb. 3, 2026

Later, in the airport terminal, a slim, silver-haired conference attendee confirmed the snippets of hushed chatter I’d overheard in the Bellagio’s hallways.

From Slate • Jan. 13, 2026

More recent interpreters underline the song’s vast reach, from Harolyn Blackwell’s operatic radiance and Norah Jones’s hushed Tanglewood version to Kenny Barron’s pensive piano meditation and Willie Nelson’s weathered country croon.

From The Wall Street Journal • Dec. 5, 2025

He waited for the sounds of amazement and the hushed tones of respect.

From "The Birchbark House" by Louise Erdrich

Related Words

• muted