hushed

[huhsht]

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.

Other Word Forms

• hushedly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of hushed¹

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

Example Sentences

The resultant album, “Nebraska,” is one of the ’80s most hushed accomplishments and it took an actor of White’s confidence to make that inward journey compelling.

From Los Angeles Times

In the limited coverage of the siege, the isolated Armenians spoke in hushed tones, their faces drawn from months of fear and deprivation.

From Los Angeles Times

Sandler called the movie “Happy Gilmore” and found a wide audience that loved it for its irreverence about a game that flaunts hushed reverence.

From Los Angeles Times

Such is the rub you may find yourself in with iconoclastic Spanish director Albert Serra’s “Afternoons of Solitude,” his first nonfiction film, an unflinching gaze at bullfighting, its hushed, ornate rituals and gruesome realities.

From Los Angeles Times

A hushed chamber in the town hall building heard that C1's injuries were "vast" and covered "so much of her body and organs".

From BBC

Related Words

• muted