mutism
noun
mut·ism
ˈmyü-ˌti-zəm 
: the condition of being unable to speak whether from physical, functional, or psychological cause
Examples of mutism in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Teachers were made aware of my condition, and the name elective mutism was ultimately changed to selective mutism.
—
Erin Silvia, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Marriages on track for divorce are featured in Queen of Tears, where Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won are a couple who have grown apart, and in When The Phone Rings, where Yoo Yeon-seok and his wife, played by Chae Soo-bin, cannot communicate, only in part because of her selective mutism.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Pamela, an African-American teacher in the Bay Area, recalled how her own middle school teacher took the time to find out that her selective mutism was a response to her family moving incessantly.
—Allison Pugh, TIME, 14 Aug. 2024
She was diagnosed with separation anxiety and selective mutism.
—Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 1 July 2024
The child-trafficking setups are pretty triggering to Kimiko, who has been seeing various therapists about her selective mutism.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 June 2024
Hypnotists told me stories of all kinds of miracles that came from stage shows: chronic pain vanished or a years-long mutism reversed.
—Emily Latimer, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2024
Even at home, children with selective mutism may fall silent when anyone other than a family member is present.
—Marisa Cohen, Parents, 18 Sep. 2023
The panel includes generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, phobias and selective mutism under the category of anxiety.
—Simrin Singh, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2022
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Erin Silvia, PEOPLE, 28 Oct. 2025
Marriages on track for divorce are featured in Queen of Tears, where Kim Soo-hyun and Kim Ji-won are a couple who have grown apart, and in When The Phone Rings, where Yoo Yeon-seok and his wife, played by Chae Soo-bin, cannot communicate, only in part because of her selective mutism.
—Joan MacDonald, Forbes, 5 Dec. 2024
Pamela, an African-American teacher in the Bay Area, recalled how her own middle school teacher took the time to find out that her selective mutism was a response to her family moving incessantly.
—Allison Pugh, TIME, 14 Aug. 2024
She was diagnosed with separation anxiety and selective mutism.
—Claire Cain Miller, New York Times, 1 July 2024
The child-trafficking setups are pretty triggering to Kimiko, who has been seeing various therapists about her selective mutism.
—Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 13 June 2024
Hypnotists told me stories of all kinds of miracles that came from stage shows: chronic pain vanished or a years-long mutism reversed.
—Emily Latimer, Longreads, 25 Jan. 2024
Even at home, children with selective mutism may fall silent when anyone other than a family member is present.
—Marisa Cohen, Parents, 18 Sep. 2023
The panel includes generalized anxiety disorder, social anxiety disorder, panic disorder, separation anxiety disorder, phobias and selective mutism under the category of anxiety.
—Simrin Singh, CBS News, 20 Sep. 2022
Cite this Entry
“Mutism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mutism. Accessed 4 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
mutism
noun
mut·ism
ˈmyüt-ˌiz-əm
: the condition of being unable to speak whether from physical, functional, or psychological cause see also selective mutism
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