measured
Americanadjective
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ascertained or apportioned by measure.
The race was over the course of a measured mile.
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accurately regulated or proportioned.
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regular or uniform, as in movement; rhythmical.
to walk with measured strides.
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deliberate and restrained; careful; carefully weighed or considered.
measured language; measured terms.
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in the form of meter or verse; metrical.
adjective
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determined by measurement
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slow, stately, or leisurely
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carefully considered; deliberate
Other Word Forms
- measuredly adverb
- measuredness noun
- well-measured adjective
Etymology
Origin of measured
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; measure, -ed 2
Explanation
Things done in a deliberate, rhythmic way are measured. When you're walking toward a deer in the woods, trying not to scare it off, you'll take slow, measured steps. When you meditate, you take measured breaths and pay attention to the inhale and exhale. And your measured strides up the side of a mountain trail will carry you more quickly to the top than short, erratic bursts of walking and stopping. Measured also means "thoughtful" or "careful," like the measured words you use in your delicately worded resignation letter.
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.
Nowak says Meta trades at a discount to its large-cap peers when measured by its future earnings—around 18 times its 2027 earnings forecast.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
It has now met its measured move from the bearish rounded top breakdown.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
Traders are measured on a risk-adjusted basis, so when volatility on an asset is too high, they tend to allocate less, Bouchouev said.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026
For the first time, researchers directly measured how arsenic-73 captures a proton to form selenium-74 using a rare isotope beam.
From Science Daily • Apr. 14, 2026
“Sins are measured in the pain you cause others.”
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
