placid

adjective

plac·​id ˈpla-səd 

: serenely free of interruption or disturbance

placid skies

a placid disposition

also : complacent sense 1

placidity

pla-ˈsi-də-tē 

plə-

noun

placidly

ˈpla-səd-lē 

adverb

placidness noun

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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.

Synonyms

• calm
• collected
• composed
• cool
• coolheaded
• equal
• level
• limpid
• peaceful
• possessed
• recollected
• sedate
• self-composed
• self-possessed
• serene
• smooth
• together
• tranquil
• undisturbed
• unperturbed
• unruffled
• unshaken
• untroubled
• unworried

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

Examples of placid in a Sentence

a person with a sunny, placid disposition

the placid surface of the lake

Recent Examples on the Web

For decades, that task would have taken place in the placid setting of a bullpen session. —Andy McCullough, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2025

There are meadows full of elk and rivers stacked with trout, steep slopes, and placid lakes. —Graham Averill, Outside Online, 25 Apr. 2025

May 13, 2021 issue Prudence Crowther and James Taibi Olympic Notes August 8, 1996 issue Christopher Benfey Resistance Pottery Two recent exhibitions of the work of Black potters find political acts in the placid history of nineteenth-century American stoneware. —Heather O’Donnell, The New York Review of Books, 24 Apr. 2025

Damn, again, my woulda, shoulda anger steams beneath a somewhat placid exterior. —Jim Cramer, CNBC, 13 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Latin placidus, from placēre to please — more at please

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for placid

• acid
• antacid

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Kids Definition

placid

adjective

plac·​id ˈplas-əd 

: peacefully free of interruption or disturbance : peaceful, calm

a placid disposition

placidity

pla-ˈsid-ət-ē 

plə-

noun

placidly

ˈplas-əd-lē 

adverb