placid

adjective

plac·​id ˈpla-səd How to pronounce placid (audio)
: serenely free of interruption or disturbance
placid skies
a placid disposition
placidity noun
placidly 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.

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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
His face is as placid as a god’s, affixing a category to each letter. Rick Barot, New Yorker, 9 June 2025 While some are more placid and don't mind being treated, there are others who can get very stressed by their unknown environment, including Percy the cat. Alyce Collins, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 June 2025 Skeletal branches created a cathedral over the lonely vehicle where the 64-year-old man had breathed his last, the winter-gray river placid in the background behind a ramble of fences. Brenna Ehrlich, Rolling Stone, 8 June 2025 The fish spread downstream, populating the fast-water reaches and leaving the more placid stretches to catfish and carp, and in some places to largemouths which have been stocked from time to time but never too successfully. Arthur Grahame, Outdoor Life, 4 June 2025 See All Example Sentences for placid

Word History

Etymology

Latin placidus, from placēre to please — more at please

First Known Use

1626, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of placid was in 1626

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Cite this Entry

“Placid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/placid. Accessed 14 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

placid

adjective
plac·​id ˈplas-əd How to pronounce placid (audio)
: peacefully free of interruption or disturbance : peaceful, calm
a placid disposition
placidity noun
placidly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on placid

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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