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sedate

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verb

Synonym Chooser

How is the word sedate different from other adjectives like it?

Some common synonyms of sedate are earnest, grave, serious, sober, solemn, and staid. While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

When might earnest be a better fit than sedate?

While in some cases nearly identical to sedate, earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

In what contexts can grave take the place of sedate?

The words grave and sedate are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

Where would serious be a reasonable alternative to sedate?

The synonyms serious and sedate are sometimes interchangeable, but serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

When could sober be used to replace sedate?

In some situations, the words sober and sedate are roughly equivalent. However, sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.

a sober look at the state of our schools

When would solemn be a good substitute for sedate?

The meanings of solemn and sedate largely overlap; however, solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

When is staid a more appropriate choice than sedate?

While the synonyms staid and sedate are close in meaning, staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of sedate
Adjective
Other candidates have been more sedate in their proposals. Blythe Lawrence, Forbes, 6 Mar. 2025 Miami International Mall opened in a sedate unincorporated western Miami-Dade neighborhood in August 1982. Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 8 Mar. 2025
Verb
The conditions are harsh, with crazy winds and parched terrain cooking up one calamity after another, and anyone who isn’t on edge is either in denial, sedated or a renter. Steve Lopez, Los Angeles Times, 24 Jan. 2025 The majority of the rapes at issue took place after Gisèle was sedated at dinner, and Crea’s phrase picks up on the role of night in the case. Katie Ebner-Landy, The New Yorker, 22 Feb. 2025 See All Example Sentences for sedate
Recent Examples of Synonyms for sedate
Adjective
  • Far from solemn, the atmosphere has turned into a party of thousands.
    Katie Primm, NBC news, 9 May 2025
  • The march traces the path from Auschwitz to Birkenau, the Nazi death camps in occupied Poland, in a solemn tribute to the victims and in honor of the survivors and their liberators.
    Amelie Botbol, FOXNews.com, 8 May 2025
Adjective
  • Three Palestinians in Gaza told Reuters early on Monday afternoon that there had been calm since midday, with no sound of drones or warplanes.
    James Mackenzie, USA Today, 13 May 2025
  • In a moment when the joyously plural expressions of being American are funnelled down to a single dominant script, the careful, considered, globally-oriented, calm Leo XIV is unlikely to fulfil the aspirations of MAGA loyalists to a showdown, a culture war or an open conflict.
    Anna Rowlands, Time, 12 May 2025
Verb
  • Most are unable to rise above the stylistic miasma of the production — Whitehead sounds narcotized even when Pip isn’t on drugs — or the entirely new words they’ve been asked to say.
    Robert Lloyd, Los Angeles Times, 24 Mar. 2023
  • The smartphone, for all its wonder and utility, has also proved to be a narcotizing agent.
    Derek Thompson, The Atlantic, 17 Dec. 2019
Adjective
  • But critics across the political spectrum, including some Republicans, say the arrangement raises serious legal and constitutional questions—especially given Trump’s private business ties in the region and the shadow of past emoluments controversies.
    Nik Popli, Time, 12 May 2025
  • Increasingly, however, the interviews that are the bedrock of film coverage are fewer, shorter and more lightweight, often to the point of being useless for anyone trying to write a serious piece.
    Scott Roxborough, HollywoodReporter, 12 May 2025
Adjective
  • By the next afternoon, the art crowd had decamped and Hydra returned to its serene summer pace, with other low-key art sites revealing themselves like sculptural rocks at low tide.
    Tony Perrottet, Travel + Leisure, 13 May 2025
  • Waldorf Astoria Orlando Set amid a lush nature preserve and conveniently just minutes from Walt Disney World, Four-Star Waldorf Astoria Orlando offers a serene counterpoint to the region’s theme park frenzy.
    Katie Lara, Forbes.com, 13 May 2025
Verb
  • That could change quickly once people start seeing others relaxing in the back seat, watching Netflix, while they’re stuck behind the wheel.
    Trefis Team, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025
  • In the video advertisement, Fox is seen relaxing in a bubble bath, her hair styled in a blond bouffant evocative of 1960s glamour.
    Julia Teti, Footwear News, 10 May 2025
Adjective
  • The president shared no caption alongside the image, which depicts him sitting with a stern expression and holding up one finger while wearing white and gold papal attire, including a large cross necklace.
    Bailey Richards, People.com, 3 May 2025
  • However, none will have criminal records after their cases are adjudicated, under a deal the district attorney offered during a stern press conference on Tuesday.
    Peter D'Abrosca, FOXNews.com, 1 May 2025
Adjective
  • The story will chronicle the events of May 15, 1970, when Mississippi police opened fire outside dormitories at Jackson State College (now Jackson State University), killing two unarmed students and injuring 12 others, during a peaceful protest against racial injustice.
    Jesse Whittock, Deadline, 9 May 2025
  • Their meeting is celebrated by Catholics for showing that peaceful agreements can be reached without violence.
    Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 8 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sedate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sedate. Accessed 22 May. 2025.

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