silence is golden

In real, traceable use. Part of the curated seed collection; community review is coming.

Meaning · English

Staying quiet is often the wisest or most valuable choice.

Nghĩa · Tiếng Việt

Im lặng thường là lựa chọn khôn ngoan hoặc có giá trị nhất

Machine-translated — suggest a fix

Literally: Silence is made of gold.

How to use it

✓ Use it when

Praising restraint, or savoring quiet.

✗ Avoid it when

Situations where speaking up matters — it can excuse harmful silence.

Register: neutralConnotation: approvingEra: 19th-century English form of an older proverb

Where it’s used: Used Widespread English

Examples

The kids finally fell asleep. Silence is golden.

Editorial example (illustrative, not a corpus attestation)

Equivalents & related

Common questions

What does “silence is golden” mean?

Staying quiet is often the wisest or most valuable choice. Literally: Silence is made of gold.

Is “silence is golden” formal or informal?

silence is golden is generally neutral; connotation: approving.

What is the closest equivalent?

“im lặng là vàng” (Tiếng Việt) — direct equivalent.