composed
Americanadjective
adjective
Synonym Usage
See calm.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of composed
Explanation
The adjective composed describes someone who is calm and shows no nervousness or agitation. You may be very upset about your brother’s unkind remark, but your composed face doesn’t give away your feelings. If you’re composed, that means you're free of emotion or nervousness — or at least you look that way. Composed typically describes an outward appearance, so you could be angry on the inside but still maintain a composed manner that hides what you’re really feeling. You’ll often hear the word used to describe someone who can keep everything under control during times of stress. You probably look composed even when you’re stressing out over your calculus exam.
Vocabulary lists containing composed
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
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Mellow Out: Synonyms for "Calm"
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Dragon Hoops
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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.
For older adults, physical therapists often recommend the low-impact Otago Exercise Program, composed of 17 controlled progressive strength and balance exercises in conjunction with a walking plan.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026
Take the ball in tight spaces, be aware of the danger, keep composed and move out of trouble.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
"The Smyrnaeans have the river Meles, with its lovely water, and at its springs is the grotto, where they say Homer composed his poems," wrote the 2nd-century Greek chronicler and geographer Pausanias.
From Barron's ● Aug. 17, 2026
After a serious incident, a committee composed of senior ICE officials and attorneys will review the footage and recommend whether it should be released.
From Salon ● Aug. 8, 2026
I expected she would show signs of great distress and shame; but to my surprise she neither wept nor blushed: composed, though grave, she stood, the central mark of all eyes.
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.
