SPEECHLESSNESS Synonyms: 26 Similar and Opposite Words

speechlessness

noun

Definition of speechlessness

as in silence

incapacity for or restraint from speaking the speechlessness of our cat never seemed so frustrating as the time that it was seriously sick

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of speechlessness There is no better illustration of speechlessness being deployed as a weapon, forcing the loquacious, as if at gunpoint, to fill the void with words. — Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 3 Aug. 2026 Both men regularly bash Trump during their monologues, but the president’s tirade against the Pope left them puzzled to the point of near-speechlessness. — Zack Sharf, Variety, 14 Apr. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for speechlessness

silence

Noun

On Thursday, members of left-wing parties held a minute of silence outside both the regional parliament and townhall of Madrid.

— ABC News, ABC News, 8 Oct. 2026
The 30-page superseding indictment accuses the couple of overseeing a system of political repression that relied on Venezuela's military, intelligence agencies and security forces to torture their opponents, silence dissidents and maintain power.

— Alice Gainer, CBS News, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of silence

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speechless

speechlessness

speed

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“Speechlessness.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/speechlessness. Accessed 14 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of speechlessness

noun

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