placidity
Americannoun
-
a calm or peaceful quality; tranquility; serenity.
It’s not uncommon for visitors to regard the placidity of Canada’s Peyto Lake as a spiritual experience.
-
lack of interest or proper concern, energy, or action; complacency or apathy.
In a society that mistakes placidity for gentleness, I think we need spaces to explore, develop, and harness righteous anger.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of placidity
First recorded in 1610–20; placid ( def. ) + -ity ( def. )
Vocabulary lists containing placidity
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.
She lets the camera drink in the differences between their big-city home environs and the placidity of their woody, lakeside getaway.
From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 29, 2022
What might have been striking about Saturday was its placidity, especially in a month not famed for meteorological serenity.
From Washington Post • Dec. 4, 2021
I wouldn’t say serenity, I would say placidity about that time.
From Seattle Times • Aug. 2, 2021
With all the dire warnings, the general seemed to be losing patience with his countrymen’s trademark placidity.
From Washington Times • Nov. 5, 2020
The placidity of her countenance along with the smoothness of her skin made her face appear like a mask, with living, human eyes behind it.
From "Middlesex: A Novel" by Jeffrey Eugenides
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.
