What does quietening mean?
Quietening means making a person, place, sound, emotion, or situation less noisy, active, or intense. The word is the present participle of quieten and is commonly used when an action, sound, or influence is reducing disturbance or anxiety. For example, a reassuring voice may quieten a frightened child, while gradual improvements might quieten public concerns. As a gerund, it can name the process itself, as in "the quietening of the storm." In its adjectival use, quietening often describes something that has a calming or soothing effect. The term is common in British English and is also accepted in American English. It is especially useful when the focus is on reducing noise, emotional tension, activity, or opposition rather than merely describing something that is already quiet.
verbTo make something or someone quieter, calmer, or less active. It can also mean to reduce the intensity of a feeling, sound, or situation.
- The act of reducing noise, movement, activity, or emotional intensity.
- The process of becoming quieter, calmer, or less active.
"The manager's calm announcement quietened the crowd."
"Soft music helped quieten the restless children."
"The announcement quietened the doubts that had been circulating among the staff."
Sometimes the most effective response to a problem is not to solve it loudly, but to quieten it.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Where does quietening come from?
Quietening is formed from quieten, which in turn combines quiet with the suffix -en. The adjective quiet entered Middle English from Old French quiet, a development of the Latin quietus, meaning "at rest" or "tranquil." Quiet ultimately derives from Latin quiescere, meaning "to rest" or "become still," and is related to words such as quietude and equally cognate forms in several European languages.
Related word forms
How quietening is actually used
Quietening is especially common in British English but is also used in American English. As a present participle, it can function adjectivally before a noun, as in "a quietening effect."
Easily confused with quietening
To quieten is to make something quieter or calmer, whereas to quicken is to make it faster or more active.