noun🎓 English idiom
silent treatment
refusing to speak to someone as punishment
What it means
The silent treatment is the deliberate refusal to talk to someone, usually as a way of expressing anger or punishing them after a conflict. It's common in close relationships — couples, family members, close friends — and is often described as one of the more passive-aggressive forms of communication.
Examples
- He gave her the silent treatment for three whole days.
- I can't stand the silent treatment — let's just talk it out.
- She uses the silent treatment whenever she's hurt.
- Therapists generally describe the silent treatment as harmful long term.
Where it comes from
An English expression that became widespread in the 20th century, especially in the language of relationships, parenting, and psychology. 'Treatment' here adds the sense of an inflicted action, the way one 'treats' another person.
Related idioms
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