grounded
Americanadjective
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mentally or emotionally balanced; having a peaceful, practical, or realistic outlook.
His more grounded, common-sense view of the situation was a helpful counter to my flights of fancy.
I love being around them, because they're really grounded.
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Aeronautics. (of an aircraft) being brought or restricted to the ground because of bad weather, the unsatisfactory condition of the aircraft, etc.
Grounded flights have cost airlines in excess of $2 billion this year alone.
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Electricity. having a conducting connection between an electric circuit or equipment and the earth or some other conducting body.
This equipment must be plugged into a grounded outlet.
adjective
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of grounded
First recorded in 1955–60; ground 1 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
Grounded in critical love and thinking, it allows the country’s flaws and failures to be confronted honestly so that the nation can be made into the best version of itself.
From Salon • Jun. 30, 2026
Grounded by a barren tree serving as a flagpole, the standard flies over a war-torn landscape.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 20, 2026
Grounded from politics, he learned to fly, collecting a small fleet of private planes he used to deliver donated organs to hospitals for transplants.
From Barron's • Feb. 5, 2026
Grounded by Harden’s natural and loosely charming performance, Khalid treats his nightmare scenario with an alternating sense of anxiety and buoyant, joshing can-do attitude.
From New York Times • Nov. 21, 2024
Grounded or not, they’ve all become voracious readers.
From "The Freedom Writers Diary" by The Freedom Writers
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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.