diff --git a/src/bin/main.rs b/src/bin/main.rs
index b7bb92c858f4..9577d041388f 100644
--- a/src/bin/main.rs
+++ b/src/bin/main.rs
@@ -25,10 +25,9 @@ use failure::err_msg;
 use getopts::{Matches, Options};
 
 use rustfmt::{
-    emit_post_matter, emit_pre_matter, load_config, CliOptions, Config, FmtResult, WriteMode,
-    WRITE_MODE_LIST,
+    emit_post_matter, emit_pre_matter, format_and_emit_report, load_config, CliOptions, Config,
+    FileName, FmtResult, Input, Summary, Verbosity, WriteMode, WRITE_MODE_LIST,
 };
-use rustfmt::{format_and_emit_report, FileName, Input, Summary};
 
 fn main() {
     env_logger::init();
@@ -144,6 +143,7 @@ fn make_opts() -> Options {
         "Enables unstable features. Only available on nightly channel",
     );
     opts.optflag("v", "verbose", "Print verbose output");
+    opts.optflag("q", "quiet", "Print less output");
     opts.optflag("V", "version", "Show version information");
     opts.optopt(
         "",
@@ -187,8 +187,9 @@ fn execute(opts: &Options) -> FmtResult<(WriteMode, Summary)> {
             let options = CliOptions::from_matches(&matches)?;
             let (mut config, _) = load_config(Some(Path::new(".")), Some(&options))?;
 
-            // write_mode is always Plain for Stdin.
-            config.set().write_mode(WriteMode::Plain);
+            // write_mode is always Display for Stdin.
+            config.set().write_mode(WriteMode::Display);
+            config.set().verbose(Verbosity::Quiet);
 
             // parse file_lines
             if let Some(ref file_lines) = matches.opt_str("file-lines") {
@@ -211,7 +212,7 @@ fn execute(opts: &Options) -> FmtResult<(WriteMode, Summary)> {
             }
             emit_post_matter(&config)?;
 
-            Ok((WriteMode::Plain, error_summary))
+            Ok((WriteMode::Display, error_summary))
         }
         Operation::Format {
             files,
@@ -231,7 +232,7 @@ fn format(
     options.verify_file_lines(&files);
     let (config, config_path) = load_config(None, Some(&options))?;
 
-    if config.verbose() {
+    if config.verbose() == Verbosity::Verbose {
         if let Some(path) = config_path.as_ref() {
             println!("Using rustfmt config file {}", path.display());
         }
@@ -252,7 +253,7 @@ fn format(
             let local_config = if config_path.is_none() {
                 let (local_config, config_path) =
                     load_config(Some(file.parent().unwrap()), Some(&options))?;
-                if local_config.verbose() {
+                if local_config.verbose() == Verbosity::Verbose {
                     if let Some(path) = config_path {
                         println!(
                             "Using rustfmt config file {} for {}",
diff --git a/src/config/mod.rs b/src/config/mod.rs
index 382e7e7cc924..5f6d9082ce87 100644
--- a/src/config/mod.rs
+++ b/src/config/mod.rs
@@ -143,7 +143,7 @@ create_config! {
         "Skip formatting the specified files and directories.";
 
     // Not user-facing
-    verbose: bool, false, false, "Use verbose output";
+    verbose: Verbosity, Verbosity::Normal, false, "How much to information to emit to the user";
     verbose_diff: bool, false, false, "Emit verbose diffs";
     file_lines: FileLines, FileLines::all(), false,
         "Lines to format; this is not supported in rustfmt.toml, and can only be specified \
@@ -230,7 +230,7 @@ fn config_path(options: &CliOptions) -> Result<Option<PathBuf>, Error> {
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod test {
-    use super::Config;
+    use super::*;
     use std::str;
 
     #[allow(dead_code)]
@@ -249,7 +249,8 @@ mod test {
                 "Require a specific version of rustfmt.";
             ignore: IgnoreList, IgnoreList::default(), false,
                 "Skip formatting the specified files and directories.";
-            verbose: bool, false, false, "Use verbose output";
+            verbose: Verbosity, Verbosity::Normal, false,
+                "How much to information to emit to the user";
             file_lines: FileLines, FileLines::all(), false,
                 "Lines to format; this is not supported in rustfmt.toml, and can only be specified \
                     via the --file-lines option";
@@ -265,10 +266,10 @@ mod test {
     #[test]
     fn test_config_set() {
         let mut config = Config::default();
-        config.set().verbose(false);
-        assert_eq!(config.verbose(), false);
-        config.set().verbose(true);
-        assert_eq!(config.verbose(), true);
+        config.set().verbose(Verbosity::Quiet);
+        assert_eq!(config.verbose(), Verbosity::Quiet);
+        config.set().verbose(Verbosity::Normal);
+        assert_eq!(config.verbose(), Verbosity::Normal);
     }
 
     #[test]
diff --git a/src/config/options.rs b/src/config/options.rs
index bd8823f9ce41..e18c88c30273 100644
--- a/src/config/options.rs
+++ b/src/config/options.rs
@@ -185,8 +185,6 @@ configuration_option_enum! { WriteMode:
     // Displays how much of the input file was processed
     Coverage,
     // Unfancy stdout
-    Plain,
-    // Outputs a checkstyle XML file.
     Checkstyle,
     // Output the changed lines (for internal value only)
     Modified,
@@ -207,6 +205,14 @@ configuration_option_enum! { Color:
     Auto,
 }
 
+configuration_option_enum! { Verbosity:
+    // Emit more.
+    Verbose,
+    Normal,
+    // Emit as little as possible.
+    Quiet,
+}
+
 #[derive(Deserialize, Serialize, Clone, Debug)]
 pub struct WidthHeuristics {
     // Maximum width of the args of a function call before falling back
@@ -322,6 +328,7 @@ impl ::std::str::FromStr for IgnoreList {
 #[derive(Clone, Debug, Default)]
 pub struct CliOptions {
     skip_children: Option<bool>,
+    quiet: bool,
     verbose: bool,
     verbose_diff: bool,
     pub(super) config_path: Option<PathBuf>,
@@ -336,6 +343,10 @@ impl CliOptions {
     pub fn from_matches(matches: &Matches) -> FmtResult<CliOptions> {
         let mut options = CliOptions::default();
         options.verbose = matches.opt_present("verbose");
+        options.quiet = matches.opt_present("quiet");
+        if options.verbose && options.quiet {
+            return Err(format_err!("Can't use both `--verbose` and `--quiet`"));
+        }
         options.verbose_diff = matches.opt_present("verbose-diff");
 
         let unstable_features = matches.opt_present("unstable-features");
@@ -386,7 +397,13 @@ impl CliOptions {
     }
 
     pub fn apply_to(self, config: &mut Config) {
-        config.set().verbose(self.verbose);
+        if self.verbose {
+            config.set().verbose(Verbosity::Verbose);
+        } else if self.quiet {
+            config.set().verbose(Verbosity::Quiet);
+        } else {
+            config.set().verbose(Verbosity::Normal);
+        }
         config.set().verbose_diff(self.verbose_diff);
         config.set().file_lines(self.file_lines);
         config.set().unstable_features(self.unstable_features);
diff --git a/src/filemap.rs b/src/filemap.rs
index f74918935129..fc86beeede46 100644
--- a/src/filemap.rs
+++ b/src/filemap.rs
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@ use std::io::{self, BufWriter, Read, Write};
 use std::path::Path;
 
 use checkstyle::output_checkstyle_file;
-use config::{Config, NewlineStyle, WriteMode};
+use config::{Config, NewlineStyle, Verbosity, WriteMode};
 use rustfmt_diff::{make_diff, output_modified, print_diff, Mismatch};
 use syntax::codemap::FileName;
 
@@ -150,11 +150,10 @@ where
                 write_system_newlines(file, text, config)?;
             }
         }
-        WriteMode::Plain => {
-            write_system_newlines(out, text, config)?;
-        }
         WriteMode::Display | WriteMode::Coverage => {
-            println!("{}:\n", filename);
+            if config.verbose() != Verbosity::Quiet {
+                println!("{}:\n", filename);
+            }
             write_system_newlines(out, text, config)?;
         }
         WriteMode::Diff => {
diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
index 48c9295c4f9f..115b21f4b11f 100644
--- a/src/lib.rs
+++ b/src/lib.rs
@@ -64,7 +64,7 @@ use visitor::{FmtVisitor, SnippetProvider};
 
 pub use config::options::CliOptions;
 pub use config::summary::Summary;
-pub use config::{file_lines, load_config, Config, WriteMode};
+pub use config::{file_lines, load_config, Config, Verbosity, WriteMode};
 
 pub type FmtResult<T> = std::result::Result<T, failure::Error>;
 
@@ -331,7 +331,7 @@ fn should_emit_verbose<F>(path: &FileName, config: &Config, f: F)
 where
     F: Fn(),
 {
-    if config.verbose() && path.to_string() != STDIN {
+    if config.verbose() == Verbosity::Verbose && path.to_string() != STDIN {
         f();
     }
 }
@@ -351,9 +351,7 @@ where
     // diff mode: check if any files are differing
     let mut has_diff = false;
 
-    // We always skip children for the "Plain" write mode, since there is
-    // nothing to distinguish the nested module contents.
-    let skip_children = config.skip_children() || config.write_mode() == config::WriteMode::Plain;
+    let skip_children = config.skip_children();
     for (path, module) in modules::list_files(krate, parse_session.codemap())? {
         if (skip_children && path != *main_file) || config.ignore().skip_file(&path) {
             continue;
@@ -603,7 +601,8 @@ pub fn format_snippet(snippet: &str, config: &Config) -> Option<String> {
     let mut out: Vec<u8> = Vec::with_capacity(snippet.len() * 2);
     let input = Input::Text(snippet.into());
     let mut config = config.clone();
-    config.set().write_mode(config::WriteMode::Plain);
+    config.set().write_mode(config::WriteMode::Display);
+    config.set().verbose(Verbosity::Quiet);
     config.set().hide_parse_errors(true);
     match format_input(input, &config, Some(&mut out)) {
         // `format_input()` returns an empty string on parsing error.