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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
  • Handheld digital images give way to more solemn documentary reveries, which give way to surveillance footage and TikTok-style social media interludes.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 17 May 2025
  • The scenes involving Alma and Erika, both of whom grow up in worlds dominated by a solemn patriarchy and plagued by hardship, feel like they were drawn from period horror movies.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 14 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 an Instagram reel, Chenoa, 26, is seen holding her daughter as the baby gazes upwards with a calm expression.
    Maria Morava, MSNBC Newsweek, 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
  • The dearth of serious voting impediments is long-standing finding in polls.
    Karlyn Bowman, Forbes.com, 12 May 2025
  • 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
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
  • And Hannah Waddingham gives a good, stern space-lady as the voice of the Galactic Grand Councilwoman.
    EW.com, EW.com, 20 May 2025
  • Ruud van Nistelrooy put his arm round Amad, who wore a stern expression before going onto the pitch.
    Laurie Whitwell, New York Times, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • Nearby, at Hatta Dam, rent a kayak and enjoy a peaceful few hours on the quiet waters, surrounded by dramatic peaks.
    Natasha Amar, Forbes.com, 21 May 2025
  • Before our appointment at Osmosis Day Spa Sanctuary, a peaceful retreat off the Bodega Highway in West Sonoma county, a friend and I popped into a nearby gift shop.
    Alyssa Bereznak, Los Angeles Times, 21 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Sedate.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/sedate. Accessed 25 May. 2025.

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