黙殺

• Reading: もくさつ
• Romaji: mokusatsu
• Kanji breakdown: 黙 (moku) — silence, keep quiet; 殺 (satsu) — kill, suppress
• Pronunciation: /mo.kɯ.satsɯ/

Meaning

Ignoring; disregarding; killing by silence. Deliberately choosing not to respond or acknowledge something, effectively suppressing it.

A suru-verb noun (黙殺する). The word is historically notable: Japan's 1945 government use of 黙殺 in response to the Potsdam Declaration was reportedly mistranslated by Allied forces as 'ignore' or 'reject', with major consequences. In everyday use, 黙殺 describes deliberately not responding to criticism, petitions, or inconvenient topics — a pointed silence that functions as a form of dismissal.

Examples

1. 政府は市民団体の陳情を黙殺し、何の反応も示さなかった。 The government ignored the citizens' group's petition and showed no reaction whatsoever.
2. 批判的なコメントをすべて黙殺するのは、長期的に見て逆効果だ。 Ignoring all critical comments is counterproductive in the long run.
3. 上司は部下の提案を黙殺し続けたため、チームの士気が大きく低下した。 The boss continued to disregard the subordinate's proposals, causing team morale to plummet.

Usage Guide

Context: politics, media, corporate culture, history

Tone: critical

Origin & History

Sino-Japanese compound. 黙 means silence, 殺 means to kill — together expressing the image of 'killing with silence', suppressing something by refusing to acknowledge it.

Cultural Context

Era: Modern

Generation: Adults

Social background: Universal