calm

[ kahm, kahlm ]
See synonyms for calm on Thesaurus.com
adjective,calm·er, calm·est.

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

  2. not windy or stormy: a calm day.

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

noun

  1. freedom from motion or disturbance; stillness.

  2. Meteorology. wind speed of less than 1 mile per hour (0.447 meter per second).

  1. freedom from agitation, excitement, or passion; tranquility; serenity: We look forward to the calm of the island after the summer residents have all returned to the mainland.She faced the possibility of death with complete calm.

verb (used with object)

  1. to make calm: He calmed the excited dog.

verb (used without object)

  1. to become calm (usually followed by down).

Idioms about calm

  1. calm before the storm. See entry at calm before the storm.

Origin of calm

1
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English noun and adjective calm(e), from Italian calma (noun), calmo (adjective), from Late Latin cauma “summer heat” (with l perhaps from Latin calēre “to be hot”), from Greek kaûma (stem kaumat- ) “burning heat”; akin to kaíein “to burn” (see caustic); verb derivative of the noun

synonym study For calm

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.

Other words for calm

Opposites for calm

Other words from calm

  • calm·ing·ly, adverb
  • calm·ly, adverb
  • calm·ness, noun
  • qua·si-calm, adjective
  • un·calm, adjective
  • un·calm·ness, noun

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use calm in a sentence

  • First, the act of prayer is emotional, and so calms the man who prays, for much of his excitement is worked off.

    God and my Neighbour | Robert Blatchford

  • They said that if birds were killed on board ship, their death would be followed by long calms.

  • An indecisive action took place in which, owing to baffling calms, only the British van was engaged.

  • But if it calms you to play like this, I am ready to humour so ridiculous a whimsey.'

    A German Pompadour | Marie Hay

  • There we were, dead to leeward, while light winds and frequent calms occasioned our progress to be very slow.

    Hurricane Hurry | W.H.G. Kingston

British Dictionary definitions for calm

calm

/ (kɑːm) /

adjective

  1. almost without motion; still: a calm sea

  2. meteorol of force 0 on the Beaufort scale; without wind

  1. not disturbed, agitated, or excited; under control: he stayed calm throughout the confusion

  2. tranquil; serene: a calm voice

noun

  1. an absence of disturbance or rough motion; stillness

  2. absence of wind

  1. tranquillity

verb

  1. (often foll by down) to make or become calm

Origin of calm

1
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

Derived forms of calm

  • calmly, adverb
  • calmness, noun

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

Browse

  • #
  • aa
  • bb
  • cc
  • dd
  • ee
  • ff
  • gg
  • hh
  • ii
  • jj
  • kk
  • ll
  • mm
  • nn
  • oo
  • pp
  • qq
  • rr
  • ss
  • tt
  • uu
  • vv
  • ww
  • xx
  • yy
  • zz