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If you do something with aplomb, you do it with composure and self-assurance—you do it with poise. This English noun aplomb was borrowed directly from French, where it carries the meanings of both “composure” and “perpendicularity.” The French word aplomb comes from the phrase “a plomb,” meaning “perpendicularly,” or literally “according to the plummet” (a plummet being a lead weight that is attached to a line and used to determine vertical alignment). Plomb has its roots in the Latin word plumbum, meaning “lead,” source too of such varied English words as plummet, plumb, plumber (which originally referred to someone who deals with or works in lead), and the symbol Pb, which designates the element lead on the periodic table. Plumbum is also the source of the word plunge, and therefore plunger. The fact that a plumber is able to use a plunger with more aplomb than most of us is, however, merely coincidence.
Examples of aplomb in a Sentence
Michael Kazin, New York Times Book Review, 16 July 2006
Stefan Soltesz conducts the excellent chorus and orchestra with aplomb, and television director Brian Large does his usual exemplary job.
—Alan Wagner, Opera News, November 2001
During a script conference recounted in the New Yorker piece, Ley fielded a variety of questions with striking aplomb that sometimes verged on arrogance.
—Frank Kuznik, Air & Space, April/May 1995
He showed great aplomb in dealing with the reporters.
you've handled a difficult situation with perfect aplomb
John Hollinger, New York Times, 17 June 2025
The Terrebonne Joggers effortlessly walked the line between casual pants that could dress up lightly with a flannel and straight gym pants, thanks to their muted tones, tailored skinny-jogger cut, and ability to dump heat with aplomb during a workout.
—Joe Jackson, Outside Online, 12 June 2025
The highly adjustable platform on this activity center checks this box with aplomb.
—Cameron Leblanc, Parents, 5 June 2025
The narrative is a blank page upon which Hollywood’s most brilliant stunt choreographers go to town, and every action set piece is here weaved together with as much, if not more, aplomb than anything that has preceded it.
—Gregory Nussen, Deadline, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for aplomb
Cite this Entry
“Aplomb.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/aplomb. Accessed 3 Jul. 2025.
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