Silence
Hush, Awkward Silence
noun, verbal noun, の adjective
You sink down and shut up. You go into a silence and hush. This tends to be an awkward silence or hush.
This is a jukugo word that uses the on'yomi readings of the kanji. You should be able to read this on your own.
気まずい沈黙の後、私は塩の入った小瓶を掴みました。
There was an awkward silence and I grabbed a salt shaker.