equanimity

equa·nim·i·ty

noun \ˌē-kwə-ˈni-mə-tē, ˌe-kwə-\

plural equa·nim·i·ties

Definition of EQUANIMITY

1

: evenness of mind especially under stress <nothing could disturb his equanimity>

2

: right disposition : balance <physical equanimity>

Examples of EQUANIMITY

1. <an Olympic diver who always displays remarkable equanimity on the platform>
2. Those who are doomed to become artists are seldom blessed with equanimity. They are tossed to drunken heights, only to be brought down into a sludge of headachy despair; their arrogance gives way to humiliation at the next curve of the switchback. —Patrick White, Flaws in the Glass, (1981) 1983
3. She's heading straight for us—he thought. … And his uneasiness grew by the recollection of the forty tons of dynamite in the body of the Ferndale; not the sort of cargo one thinks of with equanimity in connexion with a threatened collision. —Joseph Conrad, Chance, (1913) 1924

Origin of EQUANIMITY

Latin aequanimitas, from aequo animo with even mind

First Known Use: circa 1616

Related to EQUANIMITY

Synonyms: aplomb, calmness, collectedness, composedness, composure, cool, coolness, countenance, equilibrium, imperturbability, placidity, repose, sangfroid, self-composedness, self-possession, serenity, tranquillity (or tranquility), tranquilness

Antonyms: agitation, discomposure, perturbation

Related Words: assurance, confidence, poise, self-assurance, self-assuredness, self-confidence, self-trust; easygoingness, laid-backness; apathy, detachment, impassivity, indifference, insensibility, numbness, phlegm, unconcern

Near Antonyms: alarm (also alarum), anxiety, anxiousness, apprehension, apprehensiveness, care, concern, disquiet, solicitude, uneasiness, worry; excitability, excitableness, nervousness; disturbance

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Synonym Discussion of EQUANIMITY

equanimity, composure, sangfroid mean evenness of mind under stress. equanimity suggests a habit of mind that is only rarely disturbed under great strain <accepted her troubles with equanimity>. composure implies the controlling of emotional or mental agitation by an effort of will or as a matter of habit <maintaining his composure even under hostile questioning>. sangfroid implies great coolness and steadiness under strain <handled the situation with professional sangfroid>.

Rhymes with EQUANIMITY

anonymity, longanimity, magnanimity, pseudonymity, synonymity, unanimity