Definitions

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.

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

‘He thinks nothing of spending $40K on a new car’: My husband gives me the silent treatment.

From MarketWatch • Oct. 9, 2025

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,” SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher told The Associated Press last week.

From Seattle Times • Aug. 29, 2023

Daisy had put me through the silent treatment several times in my life, and I didn’t like it at all.

From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls