peaceable

adjective

peace·​able ˈpē-sə-bəl How to pronounce peaceable (audio)
1
a
: disposed to peace : not contentious or quarrelsome
b
: quietly behaved
2
: free from strife or disorder
peaceableness noun
peaceably adverb

Example Sentences

He has a peaceable nature. The crowd dispersed in a peaceable manner.
Recent Examples on the Web And no destination is more peaceable than Charleston, the secluded house, wreathed with gardens, that found fame as a rural HQ of the Bloomsbury Group. Anthony Lane, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2022 Still, Jazz on a Summer’s Day does conjure a peaceable kingdom—young and old, black and white, hip and square, rich and less rich—presided over by the most benign of founding fathers, Louis Armstrong, whose influence is evident on virtually all of the artists. J. Hoberman, The New York Review of Books, 11 Aug. 2020 Charged by his father the king with three increasingly difficult tasks, a prince (sung here by tenor and stage director Jason McStoots) discovers and is repeatedly aided by a cat queen who eventually becomes the prince’s wife and partner in ruling a just, peaceable kingdom. Zachary Lewis, cleveland, 24 Mar. 2022 The nation’s culture war visited downtown Royal Oak with a peaceable skirmish Saturday afternoon when anti-gay protesters were outnumbered by pro-gay protesters by seemingly 100 to one. Bill Laytner, Detroit Free Press, 11 Mar. 2023 There’s murder most foul in a previously peaceable Irish village in this new mystery drama. Los Angeles Times, 3 Mar. 2023 What is more peaceable a form of assembly than the act of walking down a Fifth Avenue sidewalk? Karrie Jacobs, Curbed, 18 July 2022 What governs the sunless vistas is not a peaceable kingdom but a fierce contest for life, occasionally made vivid for us by the fiery, bioluminescent nature of its display. Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 20 Feb. 2023 In one study, 18 percent of patients flew, sang, danced, laughed, lectured or enacted other peaceable activities. Diana Kwon, Scientific American, 13 Jan. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'peaceable.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of peaceable was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near peaceable

Cite this Entry

“Peaceable.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peaceable. Accessed 9 Jun. 2023.

Kids Definition

peaceable

adjective
peace·​able ˈpē-sə-bəl How to pronounce peaceable (audio)
peaceably adverb

Legal Definition

peaceable

adjective
peace·​able ˈpē-sə-bəl How to pronounce peaceable (audio)
: marked by freedom from dispute, strife, violence, or disorder
the right to peaceable assembly
peaceable possession
peaceably adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on peaceable

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