muteness

Plural: mutenesses

Noun

• The state or quality of being silent or unable to speak.
• the condition of being unable or unwilling to speak
  • "her muteness was a consequence of her deafness"
• a refusal to speak when expected
• The characteristic of being mute.

Examples

• A sudden muteness fell over the room as the final, high-scoring play was made.

Synonyms

mutism, silence, dumbness

Related Words

deaf-muteness