Synonyms of silent treatment

8 similar words

Another word for silent treatment is avoidance. Other synonyms of silent treatment are shunning, blacklisting, blackballing, ostracism and ostracization.

Synonyms and similar words for silent treatment

avoidanceThe act of avoiding or shunning; keeping clear of.
ostracismTemporary exclusion from a community or society.
shunningThe act by which something is shunned; avoidance.
blackballingAn instance, or action, of a person being blackballed.
blacklistingThe act of placing onto a blacklist.
ostracizationThe process or practice of ostracizing.
petalismA form of ostracism among the ancient Syracusans by which they temporarily banished a citizen suspected of having...
discommendation archaicBlame; censure; reproach; shunning.

noun A form of communication refusal where one person deliberately ignores or withholds interaction from another, often in order to express anger, disapproval, or to exert control.

What is another word for silent treatment?: Silent treatment has 8 synonyms on Word.ws, such as avoidance, shunning, blacklisting, blackballing, ostracism, ostracization and petalism.
What does silent treatment mean?: Silent treatment means a form of communication refusal where one person deliberately ignores or withholds interaction from another, often in order to express anger, disapproval, or to exert control.

Adapted from Wiktionary: silent treatment (page history and authors) and the entries of the words listed. Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws grouped the synonyms and antonyms by meaning and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Cite this page: “Synonyms of silent treatment.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/synonyms/silent_treatment. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.