mutedadj.1
/ˈmjuːtᵻd/, U.S. /ˈmjudəd/ Winemaking.
Of a wine: stopped in the process of fermentation. Cf. mute adj. 8.
ΘΚΠ
the world > food and drink > drink > intoxicating liquor > wine > qualities or characteristics of wine > [adjective]
sublimed1576
muted1853
terroir1889
1853 A. Ure Dict. Arts (ed. 4) I. 155 The muted wines.
1928 P. M. Shand Bk. French Wines i. 18 A considerable trade has sprung up of recent years in what are called vins mutes and mistelles..musts in which the fermentation has been arrested... These muted wines are used..for blending with the musts of other white wines.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
mutedadj.2
/ˈmjuːtᵻd/, U.S. /ˈmjudəd/ 1. Rendered mute or silent; softened or deadened in volume or tone; (of a musical instrument) having the sound muffled or altered by means of a mute. Also figurative.
ΘΚΠ
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > inaudibility > [adjective] > silent > made or become silent
stillc1485
hushed1602
stilled1614
muted1860
the world > physical sensation > hearing and noise > degree, kind, or quality of sound > non-resonance > [adjective] > deadening > deadened
deaf1612
deadened1720
smothered1810
dully1832
muffled1837
muted1860
sordine1894
sourdine1898
society > leisure > the arts > music > performing music > playing instruments > [adjective] > muted
muted1860
1860 G. Meredith Evan Harrington ii, in Once a Week 11 Feb. 136/1 A carriage drove up to the door of the muted house.
1861 Sat. Rev. 14 Dec. 611 There is a pleasing effect by the muted violins.
1879 G. Meredith Egoist III. ii. 50 That low muted tone of the very heart, impossible to deride.
1905 W. D. Howells London Films 93 The muted Sunday streets.
1943 G. Greene Ministry of Fear i. iii. 43 It wasn't exactly a criminal world, though eddying along its dim and muted corridors you might possibly rub shoulders with genteel forgers.
1968 Jazz Monthly Nov. 23/1 Davis uses that distinctive hard-edged smokey-centred muted tone.
1990 M. Winegardner Prophet of Sandlots v. 112 The ballpark is..set in a wooded city park where tranquillity is disturbed only by the muted whine of a small machine shop nearby.
2. Reduced in intensity, strength, or vividness (often applied to colours); toned or damped down. Cf. subdued adj. 2.
ΘΚΠ
the world > matter > colour > quality of colour > [adjective] > soft
tender?a1513
soft1672
delicate1675
mellow1706
mellowy1816
serene1846
etherean1881
mellowed1889
muted1897
pastel1899
pastel1914
sedate1924
1897 Edinb. Rev. Apr. 316 It is only a muted melancholy.
1950 Britannica Bk. of Year 682/2 Muted, of lighting, subdued.
1964 Daily Tel. 7 Feb. 16/2 ‘It is unlikely that the development of public expenditure on the scale implied will leave much scope for a reduction in taxation.’ This muted sentence..must often come to people's minds as they read of new commitments.
1974 Impressionism (Royal Acad.) 45/2 He uses a very restricted colour-range to convey an overcast snow-effect—muted blues and greens set off against grey and white.
1992 Economist 29 Feb. 32/1 The intense clubbiness of the party in a pre-election period means that Mr Major can probably rely on right-wing criticism remaining muted.
This entry has been updated (OED Third Edition, June 2003; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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adj.11853
adj.21860