silent treatment

NOUN

ignoring of another

Synonyms

WEAK

blackballing cold shoulder ignore someone ignoring ostracism ostracization sending to Coventry

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

We don’t like confrontation, in daily life at least, and we are masters of the silent treatment, hidden meanings and passive aggression.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 20, 2026

Polite formalities did not return at the toss, Suryakumar Yadav and Salman Ali Agha giving each other the silent treatment.

From BBC • Feb. 15, 2026

About times he’d argued with his wife and given her the silent treatment.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 20, 2025

“I’m not really understanding what the silent treatment is,” Drescher said.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 24, 2023

He reached over and tried to adjust another setting, but his silent treatment didn’t work very well.

From "Anger Is a Gift" by Mark Oshiro