stillness
Americannoun
-
silence; quiet; hush.
-
the absence of motion.
Etymology
Origin of stillness
before 1000; Middle English stilnesse, Old English stilnes. See still 1, -ness
Explanation
Stillness is a calm, quiet, motionless state. As you look out at the lake, the stillness of the water is a sign that you should take out the canoe rather than the sailboat. When there's stillness, you can hear very few sounds and see very little movement. The stillness of a quiet mountain cabin may be just the escape you need from the busy, noisy city — although you may find that stillness to be a little spooky at night. You can also use this word for a more specific example of motionlessness: "The butterfly's stillness allowed me to get a good look at its beautiful wings."
Vocabulary lists containing stillness
myPerspectives 7.4
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The Suffix -ness, Part 1
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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.
With his lanky frame, unruly hair and sad, deep-set eyes, Turturro, 69, often inhabits twitchy, tightly wound characters, though he can also recede into stillness, conveying buried hurt and pain.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026
"It's a kind of a stillness, or a stare - a sit stare, or just a freeze stare."
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
There won't be much stillness in this place for a while yet.
From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026
She adds that Reynolds has “a stillness, an economy of movement and an economy of expression that I find so striking.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 12, 2026
It shrugged and stayed as it was, scary in its stillness.
From "Pet" by Akwaeke Emezi
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
