composed
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See calm.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of composed
Explanation
The adjective composed describes someone who is calm and shows no nervousness or agitation. You may be very upset about your brother’s unkind remark, but your composed face doesn’t give away your feelings. If you’re composed, that means you're free of emotion or nervousness — or at least you look that way. Composed typically describes an outward appearance, so you could be angry on the inside but still maintain a composed manner that hides what you’re really feeling. You’ll often hear the word used to describe someone who can keep everything under control during times of stress. You probably look composed even when you’re stressing out over your calculus exam.
Vocabulary lists containing composed
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Mellow Out: Synonyms for "Calm"
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Dragon Hoops
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Bernstein analyst Mark Newman believes quantum is “set to become the next important step in computing,” specifically through a hybrid architecture composed of CPUs, GPUs, and quantum processors.
From Barron's • Jun. 9, 2026
He has composed more than 8,000 film songs, drawing heavily on Tamil Nadu's folk and rural ballad traditions.
From BBC • Jun. 6, 2026
Every Maltese resident was to live within a 10-minute walk of green space, on an island composed largely of limestone, concrete, and the parking lot of a Lidl, that overall turns brown in the summer.
From Slate • Jun. 6, 2026
Blended with cream cheese and cucumber, it becomes a sandwich spread with the flavor profile of a carefully composed herb dressing and the effort level of opening a packet.
From Salon • Jun. 2, 2026
I learn from Wikipedia that the Republic of Maldives is an archipelagic state —meaning a country composed of different islands—in the Indian Ocean.
From "South of Somewhere" by Kalena Miller
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
