calmly
Americanadverb
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without excitement, agitation, or passion.
He kept his cool throughout, calmly challenging his opponents on alleged facts he believed were wrong.
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(of wind, waves, etc.) with relatively little force or movement; gently.
The wind blew calmly as the three of us lay on the beach, lazily passing the time.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of calmly
Explanation
When you do something calmly, you're cool and peaceful about it. Screaming hysterically for your mischievous dog to come back won't work, but if you calmly call his name, he'll probably come running. Doing things calmly means they happen easily, without any disturbance or strong emotion. That can include breathing calmly to reduce stress, speaking calmly to someone who's upset, or watching the gentle breeze blow calmly across the surface of a lake. The adverb calmly comes from the Old Italian calma, which means both "quiet" and "fair weather," and its Late Latin root cauma, "heat of the midday sun."
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.
When Hrgovic interrupted during Thursday's news conference, Itauma calmly asked host Adam Smith for the next question.
From BBC ● Aug. 28, 2026
One wonderfully executed sequence, in which Jonathan’s aunt calmly utters uncomfortable truths to the hypocritical and insensitive diners around her, is shocking and hilarious.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
I calmly reminded them of our previous agreement.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The centerpiece is the three minutes where Travis calmly narrates the plane crash interspersed with him drumming, amid flames, in a way that captures each emotional beat of what he went through.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026
The words come out calmly, but his insides tighten.
From "A Bird Will Soar" by Alison Green Myers
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.
