What does muted mean?
“Muted” is an adjective and verb chiefly associated with reduction rather than the complete absence of sound, color, or expression. A muted voice, notification, or instrument has been made quieter or less forceful, while muted colors are soft, restrained, or subdued. The figurative sense extends to reactions, statements, and public responses that seem carefully controlled or deliberately unemphatic. In conversation, “muted” may carry a faintly critical implication when applied to a person, suggesting that their response was restrained or lacked enthusiasm, but it is normally neutral when describing audio equipment, artwork, or interior design. As a verb, “mute” forms the past tense and past participle “muted”: someone may mute a microphone, notification, or alarm. The word is common in both British and American English and is especially useful because it can describe the middle ground between fully audible or vivid and completely absent.
Reduced in volume or intensity; restrained, subdued, or less conspicuous.
"A row of muted lavender cushions softened the room's appearance."
Figurative uses often suggest that a reaction or response has been deliberately kept low-key or carefully restrained.
To make a sound, signal, or communication quieter or inaudible; to tone down.
"Please mute your microphone during the presentation."
This is the past tense and past participle of the verb “mute,” and it is particularly common in technical and digital contexts.
One adjective can quiet a room and quiet a color.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does muted come from?
The word belongs to a family derived through French from Latin mutus, meaning “mute” or “speechless.” English developed the verb “mute” and its past participle “muted,” with the word eventually acquiring figurative meanings involving restraint, softness, and reduced intensity. Its history links the familiar modern sense of silencing a sound with earlier ideas of speechlessness, hoarseness, and quiet.
Related word forms
How muted is actually used
The adjective is especially common in British and American English. It is neutral in ordinary descriptions of sound and design, but when describing a person's reaction, it can suggest restraint, disappointment, or deliberate lack of enthusiasm.
Easily confused with muted
Mute describes something unable or unwilling to speak, or the act of silencing it, whereas muted usually means that sound or intensity has been reduced.