placid

[ plas-id ]

adjective

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

   placid waters;

   a placid temperament.

2. 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

/ pləˈsɪdɪtɪ; ˈplæsɪd /

adjective

1. having a calm appearance or nature

Derived Forms

• placidity, noun
• ˈplacidly, adverb

Other Words From

• pla·cid·i·ty [pl, uh, -, sid, -i-tee], plac·id·ness [plas, -id-nis], noun
• plac·id·ly adverb
• un·plac·id adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of placid¹

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of placid¹

C17: from Latin placidus peaceful; related to placēre to please

Synonym Study

See peaceful.

Example Sentences

They would speak up, but in tones still soft and placid; and Spahn often overheard them describing him as a “beautiful person.”

From The Daily Beast

Ellie Black rouses quietly to consciousness at around 3, her eyes unfocused, mind placid.

From The Daily Beast

Underneath the most placid waters, there are vicious currents and tides, and underwater volcanoes that are constantly erupting.

From The Daily Beast

His face immediately shifted out of the placid, guarded, friendliness of the Scheduled Speaker into ambroad, welcoming smile.

From The Daily Beast

And I long for the placid days when all I worried about were jackhammers, Halal carts and clueless tourists on rental bikes.

From The Daily Beast

Mrs. Newbolt was looking away toward the hills, a dreamy cast in her placid face.

From Project Gutenberg

The baby had thrived; as placid, laughing a little thing as if its mother had never known sorrow.

From Project Gutenberg

Frulein Timm belongs to the single sisterhood, but is one of the fresh and placid kind, and as neat as wax.

From Project Gutenberg

They mostly wore the placid expression of folks engaged in business affairs instead of the worried look of pleasure-seekers.

From Project Gutenberg

The old lady glanced up from her work; her placid face wore a look of unusual serenity.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• easygoing
• even-tempered
• gentle
• peaceful
• quiet
• serene
• tranquil