deafening silence

This page is about the collocation deafening silence

collocation pattern: adjective + noun

Meaning

a silence that everyone notices

For example

  • After I said we were getting divorced, the room was filled with a deafening silence.

  • The president responded to the corruption scandal with a deafening silence.

Quick Quiz

A deafening silence often occurs when

a. people are embarrassed

b. a room is empty

c. no-one can hear
a) people are embarrassed b) a room is empty c) no-one can hear

Contributor: Matt Errey