Synonyms of poised

poised 1 of 2

adjective

1

as in confident

Related Words

• confident
• composed
• unperturbed
• collected
• unshaken
• serene
• secure
• optimistic
• self-assured
• coolheaded
• tranquil
• assured
• hopeful
• recollected
• self-confident
• self-possessed
• rosy
• upbeat
• proud
• cool
• important
• complacent
• sanguine
• conceited
• unflappable
• imperturbable
• unshakable
• self-affected
• smug
• vain
• pompous
• self-centered
• prideful
• nerveless
• self-pleased
• self-contented
• vainglorious
• self-asserting
• egotistic
• self-satisfied
• self-complacent
• disciplined
• egoistic
• self-applauding
• self-poised
• self-important
• overweening
• self-sufficient
• self-conceited
• unself-conscious
• self-reliant
• stuck-up
• self-composed
• self-contained
• self-collected
• self-promoting
• self-controlled

Dissimilar Words

• timid
• diffident
• meek
• insecure
• modest
• humble
• nervous
• unassertive
• unassuming
• quiet
• jittery
• unpretentious
• self-distrustful
• jumpy
• shy
• reserved
• self-doubting
• bashful
• demure
• mousy
• overmodest
• self-reproachful
• self-reproving
• self-critical

2

as in hovering

Related Words

• hovering
• hanging
• sailing
• awash
• gliding
• drifting
• wafting
• afloat
• buoyant
• floating
• unsinkable
• free-floating
• floaty

Dissimilar Words

• sunk
• sinking
• high and dry
• aground

poised

2 of 2

verb

past tense of poise

1

as in braced

to prepare (oneself) mentally or emotionally

the disgraced business executive poised herself for the difficult press conference

Synonyms & Similar Words

• braced
• fortified
• readied
• strengthened
• steeled
• nerved
• armed
• forearmed
• bolstered
• reinforced
• psyched (up)
• inspired
• enforced
• sustained
• emboldened
• encouraged
• inured
• hardened
• comforted
• buttressed
• roused
• toughened
• heartened
• rallied
• seasoned
• propped (up)
• buoyed (up)
• stirred
• supported
• boosted
• cheered (up)

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• shook
• discouraged
• daunted
• unnerved
• disheartened
• demoralized
• softened
• undermined
• weakened
• undercut
• tired
• dispirited
• sapped
• debilitated
• enfeebled
• psyched (out)
• prostrated
• enervated

2

as in hovered

to rest or move along the surface of a liquid or in the air

the falcon poised in the air for an instant before diving to attack its prey

Synonyms & Similar Words

• hovered
• sailed
• floated
• glided
• drifted
• swam
• wafted
• rode
• hung
• bobbed
• dangled
• suspended
• buoyed
• ballooned
• rafted

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• settled
• sank
• plunged
• lunged
• dived
• immersed
• dipped
• submerged
• submersed

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of poised

Adjective

So my oldest, Richard, is super poised and has always sort of been the rock for our family. — Emily Tannenbaum, Glamour, 26 Mar. 2026

Jones has played so well and has looked so poised, and the team has done such a solid job with him at the controls that there has been talk lately about a possible quarterback controversy brewing in the Bay Area. — Robert Marvi, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Nov. 2025

Verb

Ahead of November’s high-stakes midterms, the economy is poised to be a top issue as voters head to the polls. — Isabel Danzis, ABC News, 20 Sep. 2026

De Kooning became the first artist writing criticism for ART news at the moment it was poised to become the most important publication in American art. — Jarrett Earnest, The New York Review of Books, 19 Sep. 2026