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placid

adjective
plac·​id | \ ˈpla-sÉ™d How to pronounce placid (audio) \

Definition of placid

: serenely free of interruption or disturbance placid skies a placid disposition also : complacent sense 1
Other Words from placid Synonyms & Antonyms Choose the Right Synonym What is the Difference Between placid, calm, tranquil, and serene? More Example Sentences Learn More about placid

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Other Words from placid

placidity \ pla-​ˈsi-​dÉ™-​tÄ“ How to pronounce placidity (audio) , plÉ™-​ \ noun
placidly \ ˈpla-​sÉ™d-​lÄ“ How to pronounce placidly (audio) \ adverb
placidness noun

Choose the Right Synonym for placid

calm, tranquil, serene, placid, peaceful mean quiet and free from disturbance. calm often implies a contrast with a foregoing or nearby state of agitation or violence. the protests ended, and the streets were calm again tranquil suggests a very deep quietude or composure. the tranquil beauty of a formal garden serene stresses an unclouded and lofty tranquility. watched the sunset of a serene summer's evening placid suggests an undisturbed appearance and often implies a degree of complacency. remained placid despite the criticism peaceful implies a state of repose in contrast with or following strife or turmoil. grown peaceful in old age

What is the Difference Between placid, calm, tranquil, and serene?

Like placid, the words calm, tranquil, and serene all mean "quiet and free from disturbance." Calm conveys a quiet composure that contrasts with surrounding chaos, while tranquil suggests a very deep quietude and peace. Serene is loftier still, carrying a sense of utter peace and happiness. Though placid traces back to Latin placēre, meaning "to please," it isn't always as positive a term as its synonyms. It can imply a lack of agitation rather than a true peace, and it sometimes suggests excessive self-satisfaction or even stupidity.

Examples of placid in a Sentence

a person with a sunny, placid disposition the placid surface of the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

 After several months of placid, steady stock gains, U.S. stocks endured a choppy market this summer. — Kevin Kelleher, Fortune, "This Little Noticed S&P Index Is Up 25% This Year—and Offers a Hedge Against Wild Market Swings," 5 Sep. 2019 Starting with thinkers like Freud, ice has been used regularly as a metaphor for the deeper, darker parts of our mind, for traumas buried and covered over with a placid surface. — Wired, "Gears 5: A War Game That Really Deals with War Trauma," 5 Sep. 2019 The river is rather placid in this area, and there are plenty of spots to fish along the banks. — Peter Marteka, courant.com, "A journey along the Farmington River in Bloomfield," 23 Aug. 2019 Protests in Western capitals have mostly been placid compared with the 1960s and 1970s. — The Economist, "Are Western democracies becoming ungovernable?," 1 Aug. 2019 Just east of the zoo, a waterfall drops maybe fifteen feet from a placid stretch of the Bronx River. — Ian Frazier, The New Yorker, "When W. E. B. Du Bois Made a Laughingstock of a White Supremacist," 19 Aug. 2019 During the nineteenth century, English thinkers like J.S. Mill and George Grote worked to reimagine tumultuous Athens as a forerunner to the placid, liberal Victorian commonwealth. — Nick Burns, The New Republic, "In Defense of Sparta," 7 Aug. 2019 The lake is a picture of serenity with rental canoes and pontoon boats gliding across its placid surface mirroring the ivory and rust faces of surrounding mountains. — Katherine Rodeghier, Dallas News, "Discover Mammoth Lakes, Yosemite’s lesser-known neighbor," 16 July 2019 There was rain and there was sun, windy spurts and placid spells, lucky birdies and unlucky bogeys. — Daniel Rapaport, SI.com, "Tiger and Rory Struggle, While Koepka Lurks Yet Again at the Open," 18 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'placid.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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First Known Use of placid

1626, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for placid

Latin placidus, from placēre to please — more at please

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More Definitions for placid

placid

adjective
How to pronounce placid (audio)

English Language Learners Definition of placid

: not easily upset or excited
: not moving much : calm and steady

See the full definition for placid in the English Language Learners Dictionary

placid

adjective
plac·​id | \ ˈpla-sÉ™d How to pronounce placid (audio) \

Kids Definition of placid

: calm and peaceful

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