staid

1 of 2

adjective

: 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

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
In private equity, the ability for information to flow more freely has many advantages over the more staid, more procedural theater that comes through your regular board meetings. Megan Poinski, Forbes, 21 Oct. 2024 Byzantine artists frequently depicted this scene and many others rendered by Duccio, but their approach was comparatively staid, with Jesus appearing to reside in a flattened universe meant to resemble the heavens. Alex Greenberger, ARTnews.com, 11 Oct. 2024 Ratan Tata, the former Tata Group chairman who put a staid and sprawling Indian conglomerate on the global stage with a string of high-profile acquisitions, has died, the Tata Group said in a statement late on Wednesday. Reuters, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024 Many of the themes of the two films overlap, both looking at the impossible expectations and pressures that accompany young womanhood, but this film’s handling of those themes is notably more staid. Leila Latif, IndieWire, 2 Sep. 2024 See all Example Sentences for staid 

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

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of stay entry 3

First Known Use

Adjective

1557, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of staid was in 1557

Dictionary Entries Near staid

Cite this Entry

“Staid.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/staid. Accessed 4 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

staid

1 of 2 adjective
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

More from Merriam-Webster on staid

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