1
: marked by or suggestive of utter calm and unruffled repose or quietude
a serene smile
2
a
: clear and free of storms or unpleasant change
serene skies
b
: shining bright and steady
the moon, serene in glory—
Alexander Pope
Alexander Pope3
: august
—used as part of a title
His Serene Highness
serenely
adverb
1
archaic
: a serene condition or expanse (as of sky, sea, or light)
2
archaic
: serenity, tranquility
Examples of serene in a Sentence
Adjective
Between the two Azorean blue belfries of Our Lady of Good Voyage Church, a serene statue of the Madonna gazes out at the harbor, cradling a small boat in her arm.
—Anita Diamant, National Geographic Traveler, September 2005
And Breeders' Cup day was anything but serene. The weather was … cold and often gray, with a 20-mile-an-hour headwind scouring the backstretch.
—Lorna Lentini, New York Times, 14 July 2002
For Ben and me, in Omaha in 1961, our lives were untroubled and serene. After six years of marriage, we seemed to have reached the happy ending to the national American Dream.
—Lois Mark Stalvey, The Education of a WASP, (1989) 1998
a serene woman who was everyone's source of support
Noun
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told / That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne: /Yet did I never breathe its pure serene / Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold: …
—John Keats, "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer," 1816
Anita Diamant, National Geographic Traveler, September 2005
And Breeders' Cup day was anything but serene. The weather was … cold and often gray, with a 20-mile-an-hour headwind scouring the backstretch.
—Lorna Lentini, New York Times, 14 July 2002
For Ben and me, in Omaha in 1961, our lives were untroubled and serene. After six years of marriage, we seemed to have reached the happy ending to the national American Dream.
—Lois Mark Stalvey, The Education of a WASP, (1989) 1998
a serene woman who was everyone's source of support
Noun
Oft of one wide expanse had I been told / That deep-browed Homer ruled as his demesne: /Yet did I never breathe its pure serene / Till I heard Chapman speak out loud and bold: …
—John Keats, "On First Looking into Chapman's Homer," 1816
Recent Examples on the Web
Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Researchers at the University of Arizona later observed that green light—which is strongly reflected at us by plants—also triggers a release of natural opioids, promoting a serene state.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The result is a home that feels both urbane and serene—more Kyoto pavilion than New York penthouse.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025
Fernandez decorated the home’s interiors with a warm, subdued palette to give the place a serene family-friendly vibe.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for serene
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Adjective
Its location in the quiet village of Northeast Harbor offers a serene alternative to busier Bar Harbor, while still providing easy access to the town and Acadia National Park’s trails and rocky shoreline.
—Sarah Bruning, Travel + Leisure, 24 Oct. 2025
Researchers at the University of Arizona later observed that green light—which is strongly reflected at us by plants—also triggers a release of natural opioids, promoting a serene state.
—Rowan Jacobsen, Harpers Magazine, 24 Oct. 2025
The result is a home that feels both urbane and serene—more Kyoto pavilion than New York penthouse.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 24 Oct. 2025
Fernandez decorated the home’s interiors with a warm, subdued palette to give the place a serene family-friendly vibe.
—Katie Schultz, Architectural Digest, 24 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for serene
Cite this Entry
“Serene.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/serene. Accessed 31 Oct. 2025.
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