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 calmly

He calmly offered his vision of an ideology that merges libertarian values with social conservative virtue.
Paul, Cruz Duel at ‘Values Voter’ Event|Olivia Nuzzi|September 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It was strange to see Ramona deal with Aviva so calmly: usually her head swivels and her eye sockets pulse.
Betrayal, Blowjobs, and Bitchery: the 'Real Housewives' Get Really Desperate|Tim Teeman|March 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Beyond that, explained Robinson, Carson was able to “calmly articulate conservative principles.”
At CPAC, Slim Pickings in ‘Minority Outreach’|Jamelle Bouie|March 7, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His assistant manager, DOUG STAMPER, is agitated, pacing back and forth, while UNDERWOOD calmly eats a breadstick.
Frank Underwood Will Not Tolerate Insubordination in This Olive Garden|Kelly Williams Brown|February 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Jamie growls at Cardosa, who replies “yes” and calmly expresses regret on the other end of the line.
Woman Accuses Alleged Rapist Teacher On YouTube|Lizzie Crocker|January 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
"You need not be afraid of that any more, Ronnie," his uncle told him calmly.
The Kingdom of the Blind|E. Phillips Oppenheim
He was calmly reading a newspaper and having a morning smoke, until it should be time to go out.
Mr. Isaacs|F. Marion Crawford
It was at that moment that Kathleen calmly and slowly raised her face and looked around her.
The Rebel of the School|Mrs. L. T. Meade
But we calmly submitted to the numerous indignities heaped upon us, feeling that it was better to suffer wrong than to do wrong.
Scraps of Biography|Various
"For three months I have made it possible for you to have everything a woman can want," continued Gordon, calmly, coming to her.
A Star for a Night|Elsie Janis

British Dictionary definitions for calmly

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 calmly

calmly

adv.

1590s, from calm (adj.) + -ly (2).

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 calmly

calm

adjective

noun

verb

Word Origin for calm

calmly

calm

calm

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