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.
Meta in May settled a lawsuit by a small Kentucky school district for $9 million.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026
A third-and-six pass to rookie CJ Daniels netted only two yards and the Rams settled for a field goal.
From Los Angeles Times ● 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
Rohl is focused and settled in Austria, returning to Salzburg after starting his coaching career at RB Leipzig under Ralph Hassenhuttl, before following him to Southampton.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
When things settled down to something I could control, I opened my eyes and saw that my snow pants and the jeans beneath were ripped in a jagged line for about a foot.
From "Woodsong" by Gary Paulsen
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.
