Meanings
nounsilver tongue (plural silver tongues)
plural silver tongues · alternative silver-tongue
- idiomaticThe trait of being articulate and clever at speaking, often in a deceitful way.
[H]e passed into the saloon, where Nina presided; and here his fair person and silver tongue […
1835, [Edward Bulwer-Lytton], “The Festival”, in Rienzi, the Last of the Tribunes. […], volume II, London: Saunders and Otley, […], →OCLC, book IV (The Triumph and the Pomp), pages 189–190 - USThe song sparrow (Melospiza melodia).
Synonyms & antonyms
Also see
Origin
From silver (adjective, noun) + tongue (noun). Sense 1 (“trait of being articulate and clever at speaking”) is probably from silver-tongued, which is attested earlier than the noun.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Finnish sujuvapuheisuus, lipeväkielisyys
- sujuvapuheisuustrait of being articulate and clever at speaking
- lipeväkielisyystrait of being articulate and clever at speaking
Portuguese língua afiada
- língua afiadatrait of being articulate and clever at speaking
Russian златоу́ст
- златоу́ст (zlatoúst)trait of being articulate and clever at speaking
Spanish pico de oro, labia
- pico de orotrait of being articulate and clever at speaking
- labiatrait of being articulate and clever at speaking
- verbatrait of being articulate and clever at speaking
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with silver tongue
youngamongnglunghungsungsprungdungshengrungrngunsungclungbungmunghyungoverhungpungguzhenghorse-hung'mongunstungXianfengyouth is wasted on the young
All rhymes →Cite this entry
APA
silver tongue. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20tongue
MLA
“silver tongue.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20tongue. Accessed November 5, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “silver tongue,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/silver%20tongue.
Source: silver tongue on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.