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
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
Into it he mixes the soul-opening honk of Albert Ayler, full of enough breath to evoke a door blowing wide open; the winding intensity of John Coltrane; and the troubled placidity of Lester Young.
From New York Times ● Feb. 26, 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
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
