composure
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of composure
Explanation
When you stay calm under pressure, you keep your composure. Keeping your composure for a skinned knee? Easy. Keeping your composure during an avalanche? Not so easy. The word composure is from the related word composed, but don't think of the word in the musical sense. In this case, composed means calm. What's the difference between the two? Well, composed is an adjective, so you simply are composed. Composure, on the other hand, is a noun, so you can lose, keep, regain, or maintain your composure — your ability to stay calm. If you lose your composure, you're freaking out.
Vocabulary lists containing composure
Metamorphosis
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The Things They Carried
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Inside Out & Back Again
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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.
However, the return of defender Levi Colwill for his first start in 10 months, since the Fifa Club World Cup final, brought composure in possession and greater stability when building from the back.
From BBC • May 9, 2026
Factors such as police deciding not to arrest Calocane after the assault on his flatmate, the incident still being under investigation, and Calocane's "composure" all formed part of the decision, Skelton said.
From BBC • May 7, 2026
The piece argues that Pratt showed sufficient composure and charm while displaying deference to moderators and occasionally yielding speaking time to Bass, though the article notes he occasionally lapsed into mockery and made unsubstantiated characterizations.
From Los Angeles Times • May 6, 2026
Blue-chip corporate bonds exhibit composure, with spreads offering 0.81% over Treasuries, despite global disruptions.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
We all regained our composure and tried to reposition ourselves for more waltzing.
From "Patina" by Jason Reynolds
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.
