silence
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silence
The state of remaining silent; the deliberate act of not speaking about a particular matter.
Sein beharrliches Stillschweigen zu den Vorwürfen machte alle misstrauisch.
His persistent silence about the accusations made everyone suspicious.
to maintain silence
A fixed expression meaning to deliberately not speak about something or to keep information to oneself.
Die Vertragspartner einigten sich darauf, über die Höhe der Abfindung Stillschweigen zu bewahren.
The contracting parties agreed to maintain silence about the amount of the severance payment.
The word is made up of 'still' (quiet) and the nominalized verb 'schweigen' (to remain silent). So it literally describes a 'quiet silence' and thereby emphasizes the deliberate nature of not speaking.
Trotz der vielen Fragen hüllte er sich in Stillschweigen.
Despite the many questions, he shrouded himself in silence.
The fixed expression 'Stillschweigen bewahren' (to maintain silence) is often used with the preposition 'über' + accusative to name the topic that is being kept silent about.
Er hat versprochen, über die Details des Projekts Stillschweigen zu bewahren.
He promised to maintain silence about the details of the project.
Besides 'bewahren' (to maintain), there are other important verbs. 'Das Stillschweigen brechen' means to speak after all, or to break one's silence. 'Sich in Stillschweigen hüllen' describes someone deliberately saying nothing.
Nach Jahren hat der Zeuge endlich sein Stillschweigen gebrochen.
After years, the witness finally broke his silence.
to be silent
Both words refer to deliberately not speaking about something. „Schweigen“ is a verb and directly describes a person’s behavior. „Stillschweigen“ is a noun and is used especially when someone keeps information to themselves, often in the fixed expression „Stillschweigen bewahren“ (to maintain silence).
Die Mitarbeiter bewahren über die geplante Änderung Stillschweigen.
The employees are maintaining silence about the planned change.
Die Mitarbeiter schweigen über die geplante Änderung.
The employees are keeping silent about the planned change.
