Dictionary.com
definitions

ataraxia

[at-uh-rak-see-uh]
|
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR ataraxia ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a state of freedom from emotional disturbance and anxiety; tranquillity.

RELATED WORDS

composure, coolness, aplomb, calmness, serenity, tranquillity, confidence, self-possession, peace, poise, steadiness, patience, detachment, calm, imperturbability, phlegm, placidity, assurance, cool, ataraxia

Nearby words

  1. ataman,
  2. atamasco lily,
  3. atar,
  4. ataractic,
  5. atarax,
  6. atascadero,
  7. ataturk, kemal,
  8. atatürk,
  9. atatürk, kemal,
  10. atavic
Also at·a·rax·y [at-uh-rak-see] /ˈæt əˌræk si/.

Origin of ataraxia

1595–1605; < Latin < Greek: calmness, equivalent to atarák(tos) unmoved (a- a-6 + tarak-, variant stem of tarássein to disturb + -tos verbid suffix) + -s(is) -sis + -ia -ia
Related formsat·a·rac·tic [at-uh-rak-tik] /ˌæt əˈræk tɪk/, at·a·rax·ic, adjective, noun
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for ataraxy

  • Thus philosophy is only an apprenticeship of death, and not of life; it tends to death by its image, apathy and ataraxy.

    Christianity and Greek Philosophy|Benjamin Franklin Cocker
British Dictionary definitions for ataraxy

ataraxia

ataraxy (ˈætəˌræksɪ)

noun

calmness or peace of mind; emotional tranquillity

Word Origin for ataraxia

C17: from Greek: serenity, from ataraktos undisturbed, from a-1 1 + tarassein to trouble
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
Word Origin and History for ataraxy

ataraxia

n.

also Englished as ataraxy, "calmness, impassivity," c.1600, from Modern Latin, from Greek ataraxia "impassiveness," from a-, privative prefix, + tarassein (Attic tarattein) "to disturb, confuse," from PIE root *dher- "to make muddy, darken."

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper