settled
Americanadjective
-
fixed or established; unlikely to change.
Like most of us, he has settled habits and opinions.
-
agreed upon; decided.
the rules of settled grammatical usage.
-
having inhabitants or settlers.
settled regions of the country.
-
having a permanent residence; not wandering.
In time the Israelites became a settled people.
Synonym Usage
See staid.
Etymology
Origin of settled
First recorded in 1550–60; settle 1 ( def. ) + -ed 2 ( def. )
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.
Bex has settled on one target the group should definitely achieve.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
Later that evening, as the women settled into the villa, they began checking their phones.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Our friends over at the Slate podcast Slow Burn are good at taking events that we think are settled history, then unlocking a new understanding of those stories through interviews, archives, and fresh analysis.
From Slate ● Aug. 15, 2026
She settled on a four-year term that will be served in state prison, not a juvenile facility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 14, 2026
For several seconds, a silence settled over the people waiting on the depot platform.
From "Summer of the Monkeys" by Wilson Rawls
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.
