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• still
  still

  adjective

  remaining in place or at rest; motionless; stationary.
• Still
  Still

  noun

  Andrew Taylor, 1828–1917, U.S. founder of osteopathy.

still

¹ American  

[stil] / stɪl /

adjective

• stiller,
  comparative
• stillest
  superlative

1. remaining in place or at rest; motionless; stationary.

   to stand still.

   Synonyms:

   quiescent, inert, unmoving

2. free from sound or noise, as a place or persons; silent.

   to keep still about a matter.

   Synonyms:

   mute, soundless

3. subdued or low in sound; hushed.

   a still, small voice.

4. free from turbulence or commotion; peaceful; tranquil; calm.

   the still air.

   Synonyms:

   serene, placid, pacific

5. without waves or perceptible current; not flowing, as water.

6. not effervescent or sparkling, as wine.

7. Photography. noting, pertaining to, or used for making single photographs, as opposed to a motion picture.

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noun

1. stillness or silence.

   the still of the night.

   Synonyms:

   calm, hush, quiet, stillness

2. Photography. a single photographic print, as one of the frames of a motion-picture film.

adverb

1. at this or that time; as previously.

   Are you still here?

2. up to this or that time; as yet.

   A day before departure we were still lacking an itinerary.

3. in the future as in the past.

   Objections will still be made.

4. even; in addition; yet (used to emphasize a comparative).

   still more complaints; still greater riches.

5. even then; yet; nevertheless.

   to be rich and still crave more.

6. without sound or movement; quietly.

   Sit still!

7. at or to a greater distance or degree.

8. Archaic. steadily; constantly; always.

conjunction

1. and yet; but yet; nevertheless.

   It was futile, still they fought.

verb (used with object)

1. to silence or hush (sounds, voices, etc.).

   Synonyms:

   muffle, stifle, mute, quiet

2. to calm, appease, or allay.

   to still a craving.

   Synonyms:

   pacify, soothe

3. to quiet, subdue, or cause to subside (waves, winds, commotion, tumult, passion, pain, etc.).

verb (used without object)

1. to become still or quiet.

idioms

1. still and all, nonetheless; even with everything considered.

   Even though you dislike us, still and all you should be polite.

still ² American  

[stil] / stɪl /

noun

1. a distilling apparatus, consisting of a vessel in which a liquid is heated and vaporized and a cooling device or coil for condensing the vapor.

2. a distillery.

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verb (used with or without object)

1. to distill.

Still ³ American  

[stil] / stɪl /

noun

1. Andrew Taylor, 1828–1917, U.S. founder of osteopathy.

2. William Grant, 1895–1978, U.S. composer.

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still ¹ British  

/ stɪl /

adjective

1. (usually predicative) motionless; stationary

2. undisturbed or tranquil; silent and calm

3. not sparkling or effervescent

   a still wine

4. gentle or quiet; subdued

5. obsolete (of a child) dead at birth

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adverb

1. continuing now or in the future as in the past

   do you still love me?

2. up to this or that time; yet

   I still don't know your name

3. (often used with a comparative) even or yet

   still more insults

4. quiet or without movement

   sit still

5. poetic always

noun

1. poetic silence or tranquillity

   the still of the night

2. 1. a still photograph, esp of a scene from a motion-picture film

   2. ( as modifier )

      a still camera

verb

1. to make or become still, quiet, or calm

2. (tr) to allay or relieve

   her fears were stilled

1. even then; nevertheless

   the child has some new toys and still cries

still ² British  

/ stɪl /

noun

1. an apparatus for carrying out distillation, consisting of a vessel in which a mixture is heated, a condenser to turn the vapour back to liquid, and a receiver to hold the distilled liquid, used esp in the manufacture of spirits

2. a place where spirits are made; distillery

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still More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing still

• heart misses a beat (stands still)
• hold still
• jury is still out
• keep quiet (still)
• quiet (still) as a mouse

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Usage

What are other ways to say still?

The conjunction still means “and yet” or “but yet.” Do you know when to use still versus but, nevertheless, however, and yet? Find out on Thesaurus.com.

Synonym Usage

Still, quiet, hushed, noiseless, silent indicate the absence of noise and of excitement or activity accompanied by sound. Still indicates the absence of sound or movement: The house was still. Quiet implies relative freedom from noise, activity, or excitement: a quiet engine; a quiet vacation. Hushed implies the suppression of sound or noise: a hushed whisper. Noiseless and silent characterize that which does not reveal its presence or movement by any sound: a noiseless footstep; silent dissent.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• stillness
  noun

Inflected Forms

Adjectives

• stiller
  comparative
• stillest
  superlative

Etymology

Origin of still¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective and adverb still(e), Old English stille; Middle English noun stille “calm (after a storm),” derivative of the adjective; Middle English verb stillen, stil(le) “to be, fall, or remain silent,” Old English stillan; conjunction derivative of the adverb; akin to German still (adjective), stille (adverb), stillen (verb), Dutch stil (adjective and adverb), stillen (verb); see stall ¹

Origin of still²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English verb stillen, variant of distillen to distill

Explanation

If something is quiet and calm, it's still. After the noise of the city, it's peaceful to go camping in the woods where everything is still. Things that are tranquil are still, like the calm surface of a lake or a sleeping baby. If you stand still, you freeze in place. Another meaning of still is an individual shot from a movie, an unmoving snapshot of a single scene. When still is an adverb, it means even now, like when you say you still love an old song or you still remember the kindness of your kindergarten teacher.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

still Still stiller stillest

But the tech mogul still has a lot of property in California, the state that houses Meta’s main headquarters.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 22, 2026

The data indicate that the Midwest might still be a more affordable region, but not necessarily for locals.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 22, 2026

Portugal’s Comporta still feels like a sleepy beach town—but probably not for long.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 22, 2026

Though visits with a primary care doctor are covered by a DPC fee, patients still need insurance, on top of that annual fee, for medication, hospital stays, specialist visits, surgeries, and emergencies.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

“I didn’t place, but still, I played pretty well,” I mumble.

From "Split the Sky" by Marie Arnold

Still, it’s an expensive setup that essentially requires participants to pay twice for primary care, both via health insurance premiums and through the DPC membership fee.

From Slate ● Aug. 22, 2026

Still, the smart money is on another England victory to complete their first series win against anyone in almost two years.

From BBC ● Aug. 22, 2026

Still, she thought maybe they’d found a raucously fun new tradition.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 21, 2026

Still, the country is still struggling to meet demand thanks to its aging power grid.

From Salon ● Aug. 21, 2026

Still, the disease is a feared condition for the afflicted and non-afflicted alike.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

“There was sort of a nervous energy underneath it, bubbling away, even in the stiller moments,” Hemsworth says.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 14, 2022

She’s never sounded deeper or stiller than she does on this tidy parcel of separation songs, singing about disappointment and heartbreak with mysterious composure and anodyne sweetness.

From Washington Post ● Dec. 7, 2021

During the 1877 close approach, he left his normal observing spot in his garden near London and traveled to Madeira, Portugal, where the overhead air is stiller and affords sharper views of the faraway planet.

From National Geographic ● Feb. 12, 2021

Today, the road all runners come, Shoulder-high we bring you home, And set you at your threshold down, Townsman of a stiller town.

From New York Times ● Sep. 25, 2016

Most people start to fidget when they’re anxious, but Mother gets stiller and stiller, until pretty soon, it’s like sitting next to a statue.

From "The Lions of Little Rock" by Kristin Levine

"I'm excited for everyone to see the fruits of their labour, and meet me at my stillest."

From BBC ● Sep. 4, 2025

One solution being considered is to build enough extra wind turbines to get a grid through even the stillest winters, and then to use them for most of the year to make hydrogen.

From Scientific American ● Nov. 23, 2022

Buildings—the slowest and stillest of all media—are not.

From The New Yorker ● Oct. 6, 2019

The stillest person on set is cinematographer Natasha Braier, a slight, intense figure, originally from Buenos Aires.

From The Guardian ● May 12, 2016

The old part of the town, fiercely antebellum, rested in the stillest slackwater celebration of itself, in the habiliment of azaleas cutting into shadows with a soft-winged blue, or a deepening ruby.

From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy

Related Words

• as yet
• so far
• thus far
• until now
• up to now
• yet