staid

1 of 2

adjective

ˈstād 

: marked by settled sedateness and often prim self-restraint : sober, grave

staidly adverb

staidness noun

staid

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of stay

Synonyms

Adjective

• solemn
• serious
• stern

Choose the Right Synonym for staid

serious, grave, solemn, sedate, staid, sober, earnest mean not light or frivolous.

serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

Examples of staid in a Sentence

Adjective

a staid and solemn businessman

everyone was surprised by the racy joke from the usually staid professor

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

The lifelong equestrian decided at the time to leave her staid corporate job behind to finally realize her dream of educating people on how to become better horse owners. —Grace Hase, Mercury News, 29 Oct. 2025

Panelists were asked about their dealings with Carr’s FCC, which has taken a far more aggressive approach to media regulation than at any other time in its generally staid history. —Dade Hayes, Deadline, 22 Oct. 2025

OpenA is one of several companies that has set its sights on the web browser—one of the oldest and most staid internet products—in the hopes of upending the status quo and potentially rekindling the famed browser wars of the early internet era. —Alexei Oreskovic, Fortune, 21 Oct. 2025

One way to claim that grace was through displays of spirit, which the right music could coax out of even the most staid congregants. —Vann R. Newkirk Ii, The Atlantic, 18 Oct. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of stay entry 3

First Known Use

Adjective

1557, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for staid

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• clade
• dade
• fade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade

Kids Definition

staid

1 of 2 adjective

ˈstād 

1

: not easily changed : settled, fixed

a staid opinion

2

a

: calm and serious in manner, attitude, or style

b

: not bold, bright, or showy

staid colors

staidly adverb

staidness noun

staid

2 of 2

past and past participle of stay