a heavy silence/atmosphere

heavy atmosphere

A very tense, awkward, or uncomfortable atmosphere among a group of people. There was a heavy atmosphere at the table after Dad's outburst at Mom. I tried to break the heavy atmosphere with a joke, but no one was in the mood for laughing.

See also: atmosphere, heavy

heavy silence

A very tense, awkward, or uncomfortable silence among a group of people. There was a heavy silence at the table after Dad's outburst at Mom. I tried to break the heavy silence with a joke, but no one was in the mood for laughing.

See also: heavy, silence

a heavy ˈsilence/ˈatmosphere

a situation when people do not say anything, but feel embarrassed or uncomfortable: There was a heavy silence for a few minutes before anybody spoke.

See also: atmosphere, heavy, silence