Synonyms

placid

American

[plas-id] / ˈplæs ɪd /

adjective

pleasantly calm or peaceful; unruffled; tranquil; serenely quiet or undisturbed.

placid waters;
a placid temperament.
showing lack of energy or concern.

It is difficult to understand her relatively placid acceptance of the truth and its impact on her future.
Emotions ebbed from anger into placid resignation with the passage of time.

placid British

/ pləˈsɪdɪtɪ, ˈplæsɪd /

adjective

having a calm appearance or nature

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Usage

What does placid mean? Placid means calm, peaceful, quiet, and undisturbed. A close synonym is tranquil.Placid is used to describe things that have a calm appearance or a calm nature, such as a placid pond whose surface is perfectly still.When placid is used to describe people, it can mean that they’re very calm and even-tempered. However, placid can also mean showing a lack of energy or concern. Describing a person as placid in this way is often done to criticize them for not caring enough to take action in a situation that calls for action to be taken, as in You shouldn’t be so placid about injustice—you should do something about it instead of just ignoring it. When placid is used to describe animals, like dogs or cats, it usually means they stay calm and don’t get aggressive, as in Hospital patients are calmed by the old dog’s placid nature. The state of being placid is called placidity.Example: I love the sight of the lake’s placid waters at sunrise.

Related Words

See peaceful.

Other Word Forms

placidity noun
placidly adverb
placidness noun
unplacid adjective

Etymology

Origin of placid

First recorded in 1620–30; from Latin placidus “calm, quiet,” akin to placēre “to seem good, please” (originally, “to calm”); please, -id ⁴

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.

"At different phases of the day it can feel quite placid, you can feel out of the game with the ball and things can turn around," said Root.

From BBC

This is not a placid sports city cherished for its patience.

From The Wall Street Journal

Lilac Hill has a placid surface, far removed from what England can expect to face at Optus Stadium next week.

From BBC

The placid if slightly stupid day nurse is a cow; the surgeon has the head of a yapping terrier; the junior nurse is a “prancing kitten.”

From The Wall Street Journal

The Cboe Group’s VIX index was last marked 18% lower from last Friday’s close, but is still trading north of the 20 point mark that generally separates placid markets from turbulent ones.

From Barron's

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023