serenity
Americannoun
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serenities
plural
-
the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereneness.
- Synonyms:
- peace, peacefulness, calm, composure
- Antonyms:
- agitation
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(usually initial capital letter) a title of honor, respect, or reverence, used in speaking of or to certain members of royalty (usually preceded by his, your, etc.).
noun
-
the state or quality of being serene
-
(often capital) a title of honour used of certain royal personages: preceded by his, her, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of serenity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English serenite, from Latin serēnitās; see serene ( def. ), -ity ( def. )
Explanation
The goal of meditation is to reach a state of serenity, when your mind is still and perfectly calm. Use serenity to mean the quality or state of being calm and peaceful. It is hard to believe that the ocean, whipped by winds during a storm, can ever return to a state of serenity, where its surface looks as smooth as glass. And if you're babysitting your neighbor's rowdy triplets, you might long for the serenity of your quiet bedroom. Serenity is from the Latin serenus, meaning "calm or peaceful," plus the English suffix -ity, meaning "quality or state of."
Vocabulary lists containing serenity
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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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.
See Examples For:
But fame and fortune did not affect her remarkable originality, which she once attributed to the "serenity of the soul" that comes from spending time alone.
From Barron's ● Aug. 27, 2026
“No,” she said, with a look of serenity.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
The city allows Rohl to enjoy some anonymity and serenity after his whirlwind year, at least for now.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
“Completely reimagined with an emphasis on natural light, flow, and function, the property exudes a sense of serenity from the moment you arrive.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
Wab started the work of putting out the fire safely, but she had an odd serenity in her movements.
From "The Marrow Thieves" by Cherie Dimaline
For the serenities of the countess, Katharine Cornell's personal graciousness is more in accord.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is particularly effective with modern music, with which Bernstein has had consistent success, and whose complex rhythms he feels perhaps more deeply than he feels the serenities of the classics.
From Time Magazine Archive
It is a settled old community, with all the serenities, the graces, the conveniences, and the comforts of the ideal home-life.
From Following the Equator, Part 4 by Mark Twain
It was possible for whole minutes of time, especially between sleeping and waking, to forget the complications of the situation and to bask in the blissful warmth of its serenities.
From We Three by Henry Hutt
As he spoke, he remembered that night of the eclipse—oh, those moon-washed depths, those stupendous serenities of Law and Beauty which, together, are Truth!
From The Vehement Flame by Margaret Wade Campbell Deland
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.
