adjective
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of a settled, sedate, and steady character
-
rare permanent
Related Words
Staid, sedate, settled indicate a sober and composed type of conduct. Staid indicates an ingrained seriousness and propriety that shows itself in complete decorum; a colorless kind of correctness is indicated: a staid and uninteresting family. Sedate applies to one who is noticeably quiet, composed, and sober in conduct: a sedate and dignified young man. One who is settled has become fixed, especially in a sober or determined way, in manner, judgments, or mode of life: He is young to be so settled in his ways.
Other Word Forms
- staidly adverb
- staidness noun
- unstaid adjective
- unstaidly adverb
- unstaidness noun
Etymology
Origin of staid
First recorded in 1535–45 for adjective use
Explanation
Something that is staid is dignified, respectable — possibly even boring, like a staid dinner party that is heavy on the important guests but light on the laughs. Staid is pronounced just like "stayed" — in fact, it comes from stay, meaning "fixed" or "permanent." Something that is staid is sedate, slightly dull, and tends to stay the same. Whether it’s a middle-class lifestyle, a conservative law firm, your unadventurous aunt, or an old navy plaid sofa, the word staid can be used to describe anything that maintains a respectable self-restraint and takes no chances.
Vocabulary lists containing staid
The Vocabulary.com Top 1000
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The Great Gatsby
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300 Most Difficult "SAT" Words
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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.
“Candidates are raising money and doing their due diligence … but it’s felt like a staid, quiet race,” he said.
From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 22, 2026
That includes versions of staid money-market funds managed by the likes of BlackRock or Franklin Templeton.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 13, 2026
A hearing of the White House Religious Liberty Commission is usually a staid affair.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 10, 2026
The commodity price boom has also helped the staid materials sector, home to companies like Freeport-McMoRan and Newmont Corp,. post a year to date advance of 11.4%.
From Barron's • Feb. 6, 2026
Her appearance always acted as a damper to the curiosity raised by her oral oddities: hard-featured and staid, she had no point to which interest could attach.
From "Jane Eyre" by Charlotte Brontë
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.
