calm

[kahm; older use kam; spelling pronunciation kahlm]

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adjective, calm·er, calm·est.

without rough motion; still or nearly still: a calm sea.

not windy or stormy: a calm day.

free from excitement or passion; tranquil: a calm face; a calm manner.

noun

freedom from motion or disturbance; stillness.

Meteorology. wind speed of less than 1 mile per hour (0.447 m/sec).

freedom from agitation, excitement, or passion; tranquillity; serenity: She faced the possibility of death with complete calm.

verb (used with object)

to make calm: He calmed the excited dog.

verb (used without object)

to become calm (usually followed by down).

Nearby words

Origin of calm

1350–1400; (noun, adj.) Middle English calm(e) < Italian calma (noun), calmo (adj.) < Late Latin cauma summer heat (with l perhaps from Latin calēre to be hot) < Greek kaûma (stem kaumat-) burning heat; akin to kaíein to burn (see caustic); (v.) Middle English calmen < Italian calmare, derivative of the noun

SYNONYMS FOR calm

1. quiet, motionless. 3. placid, peaceful, serene, self-possessed. 7. still, quiet, tranquilize; allay, assuage, mollify, soothe, soften.

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ANTONYMS FOR calm

2. tempestuous. 3. agitated.

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Related forms

calm·ing·ly, adverbcalm·ly, adverbcalm·ness, nounqua·si-calm, adjective

qua·si-calm·ly, adverbun·calm, adjectiveun·calm·ly, adverbun·calm·ness, noun

Synonym study

3. Calm, collected, composed, cool imply the absence of agitation. Calm implies an unruffled state, especially under disturbing conditions: calm in a crisis. Collected implies complete inner command of oneself, usually as the result of an effort: He remained collected in spite of the excitement. One who is composed has or has gained dignified self-possession: pale but composed. Cool implies clarity of judgment along with apparent absence of strong feeling or excitement, especially in circumstances of danger or strain: so cool that he seemed calm.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for calmer

Cops said that this weekend was calmer than most of the shows that they encountered at Frontier Ranch.
A Report From the Misunderstood Gathering of the Juggalos|Steve Miller|July 28, 2014|DAILY BEAST
By contrast, a calmer birth would result in more regular star orbits.
SAMI Is Like Google Earth for the Universe|Matthew R. Francis|July 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We put our heads together and in the calmer light of logic, and much ersatz coffee, solved the problem.
Week in Death: The Woman Who Cracked Hitler’s Codes|The Telegraph|November 17, 2013|DAILY BEAST
But Solha is a different, calmer dog today than she was a year ago.
My Dog Solha: From Afghanistan, With PTSD|Jessie Knadler|March 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST

The rallies of the NUWSS were calmer affairs than those of Mrs. Pankhurst.
The Lessons of the British Women’s Fight for the Vote|Frances Osborne|June 13, 2012|DAILY BEAST
He was minded to flog an Indian or two, and thus extract information; but calmer counsels prevailed.
The Terms of Surrender|Louis Tracy
The feminine soul has to give account of her moods to calmer judgment, and to be lifted and steadied by the strong spirit.
The Expositor's Bible: The Psalms, Vol. 2|Alexander Maclaren
She was so much confused that she hardly knew what to say, when her mother joined her, calmer and more sensible.
Greifenstein|F. Marion Crawford
She came back after a time and they danced again, but she was calmer apparently.
The "Genius"|Theodore Dreiser
He felt much relieved, and viewed the whole situation in a calmer and more reasonable light.
If Any Man Sin|H. A. Cody

British Dictionary definitions for calmer

calm

adjective

almost without motion; stilla calm sea

meteorol of force 0 on the Beaufort scale; without wind

not disturbed, agitated, or excited; under controlhe stayed calm throughout the confusion

tranquil; serenea calm voice

noun

an absence of disturbance or rough motion; stillness

absence of wind

tranquillity

verb

(often foll by down) to make or become calm

Derived Formscalmly, adverbcalmness, noun

Word Origin for calm

C14: from Old French calme, from Old Italian calma, from Late Latin cauma heat, hence a rest during the heat of the day, from Greek kauma heat, from kaiein to burn

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 calmer

calm

late 14c., from Old French calme, carme "stillness, quiet, tranquility," from the adjective (see calm (adj.)).

calm

late 14c., from Old French calmer or from calm (adj.). Related: Calmed; calming.

calm

adj.

late 14c., from Old French calme "tranquility, quiet," traditionally from Old Italian calma, from Late Latin cauma "heat of the mid-day sun" (in Italy, a time when everything rests and is still), from Greek kauma "heat" (especially of the sun), from kaiein "to burn" (see caustic). Spelling influenced by Latin calere "to be hot." Figurative application to social or mental conditions is 16c.

calm

adjective, calm·er, calm·est.

noun

verb (used with object)

verb (used without object)

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Origin of calm

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Examples from the Web for calmer

calm

adjective

noun

verb

Word Origin for calm

calm

calm

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