staid

1 of 2

adjective

ˈstād 

: marked by settled sedateness and often prim self-restraint : sober, grave

staidly adverb

staidness noun

staid

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of stay

Synonyms

Adjective

• earnest
• grave
• humorless
• no-nonsense
• po-faced [British]
• sedate
• serious
• severe
• sober
• sobersided
• solemn
• uncomic
• unsmiling
• weighty

Choose the Right Synonym for staid

serious, grave, solemn, sedate, staid, sober, earnest mean not light or frivolous.

serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

Examples of staid in a Sentence

Adjective

a staid and solemn businessman

everyone was surprised by the racy joke from the usually staid professor

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

Although a typical shareholder meeting is a dusty, staid affair, the Berkshire Hathaway annual shareholders meeting is entirely different. —Auzinea Bacon, CNN Money, 3 May 2025

When the hotel opened in 1965, its double-arc design was an architectural anomaly in a staid capital city. —Major Garrett, CBS News, 26 Apr. 2025

An employee mobile app and portal that replaces staid intranets and transforms internal communications. —Sean Nolan, Forbes.com, 25 Apr. 2025

In a highly unusual moment in the normally staid and quiet courtroom, the justices stood in their black robes and offered Kneedler a round of applause before leaving the bench. —Cnn.com Wire Service, Mercury News, 24 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of stay entry 3

First Known Use

Adjective

1557, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for staid

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• clade
• dade
• fade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade

Kids Definition

staid

1 of 2 adjective

ˈstād 

1

: not easily changed : settled, fixed

a staid opinion

2

a

: calm and serious in manner, attitude, or style

b

: not bold, bright, or showy

staid colors

staidly adverb

staidness noun

staid

2 of 2

past and past participle of stay