Synonyms

sedate

American

[si-deyt] / sɪˈdeɪt /

adjective

calm, quiet, or composed; undisturbed by passion or excitement.

a sedate party;
a sedate horse.

Synonyms:

unperturbed, unruffled, serene, collected

verb (used with object)

sedated, sedating

to put (a person) under sedation.

sedate ¹ British

/ sɪˈdeɪt /

adjective

habitually calm and composed in manner; serene
staid, sober, or decorous

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

sedate ² British

/ sɪˈdeɪt /

verb

(tr) to administer a sedative to

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Related Words

See staid.

Other Word Forms

sedately adverb
sedateness noun
unsedate adjective
unsedately adverb
unsedateness noun

Etymology

Origin of sedate

First recorded in 1640–50; from Latin sēdātus (past participle of sēdāre “to allay, quieten”); akin to sedēre “to sit”; sit ¹

Explanation

Sedate means to be calm, but if a doctor sedates you it means you've been administered a tranquilizing drug. Most surgeries require some form of sedation, but to be sedate in day-to-day life means composed, quiet, and serene. Not necessarily unconscious. To be sedate when dining with the Queen means that you behaved with dignity and solemnity. To be sedated when dining with the Queen means that you were face down in the bread pudding and drooling onto the tablecloth. The medical sense of the word is to be tranquilized, either to calm your nerves after a shock or in preparation for surgery. Socially, to be sedate is to be serene, quiet, and composed.

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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.

Nursing homes have a powerful incentive to sedate residents, and comparatively few people are watching.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

He added that some surveys suggest that sedate hiring has made job hunting especially frustrating for those out of work.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 30, 2026

There was another two-star review from the Guardian's Arifa Akbar, who said the show's atmosphere is "sedate", with "no peril whatsoever".

From BBC • Feb. 18, 2026

Adichie's sister-in-law, Dr Anthea Esege Nwandu, a physician and professor with decades of experience, said she had been told the boy had been administered an overdose of propofol, to sedate him to conduct MRI tests.

From Barron's • Jan. 14, 2026

They were not rough timid people like the fisher-folk of the Hands, but true townsmen, alert and sedate.

From "A Wizard of Earthsea" by Ursula K. Le Guin

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023