placidly

[plas-id-lee]

adverb

1. in a calm or peaceful manner; tranquilly.

   The mural brings to life a world where mammoths still embark on ancient migrations, where giant ground sloths browse placidly, where saber-toothed tigers stalk their prey.

2. in a way that shows a lack of energy or concern.

   After playing fairly placidly in the first quarter and ending down three goals, the girls entered the second quarter with stronger, more dynamic play.

Other Word Forms

• unplacidly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of placidly¹

placid ( def. ) + -ly

Example Sentences

Tom looked on placidly, a Latin rhythm capering overhead.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Ogie, who accepts without question that his legs don’t function, is helped each morning into the tub by one of the brothers, where he placidly exists.

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“A change from the climbing gym,” he says placidly.

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Archie, the owl whose species is native to Europe and Asia, stood placidly under the shower of a sprinkler.

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“I immediately knew I didn’t want to play him as evil,” said Moayed, whose Torvald seems so placidly self-satisfied, having the wife he calls his “songbird” live by his rules.

Read more on Washington Post

Related Words

• constantly 
• smoothly www.thesaurus.com
• steadily 
• uniformly www.thesaurus.com

When To Use

What does placidly mean?

Placidly means in a way that is placid—calm, peaceful, or quiet.Placid is used to describe things that have a calm appearance or a calm nature, such as a placid pond whose surface is perfectly still.When placid is used to describe people, it can mean that they’re very calm and even-tempered. However, placid can also mean showing a lack of energy or concern. Saying that a person is acting placidly in this way is often done to criticize them for not caring enough to take action in a situation that calls for action to be taken, as in You shouldn’t accept defeat so placidly. Example: Rex is the calmest dog I’ve ever had—he acts so placidly, even around strangers.