staid

[steyd]

adjective

1. of settled or sedate character; not flighty or capricious.

   Synonyms: solemn, decorous, serious, proper
   Antonyms: frivolous, wild

2. fixed, settled, or permanent.

verb

1. Archaic.,  a simple past tense and past participle of stay.

staid

/ steɪd /

adjective

1. of a settled, sedate, and steady character

2. rare,  permanent

Other Word Forms

• staidness noun
• staidly adverb
• unstaid adjective
• unstaidly adverb
• unstaidness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of staid¹

First recorded in 1535–45 for adjective use

Word History and Origins

Origin of staid¹

C16: obsolete past participle of _stay ¹

Synonym Study

Staid, sedate, settled indicate a sober and composed type of conduct. Staid indicates an ingrained seriousness and propriety that shows itself in complete decorum; a colorless kind of correctness is indicated: a staid and uninteresting family. Sedate applies to one who is noticeably quiet, composed, and sober in conduct: a sedate and dignified young man. One who is settled has become fixed, especially in a sober or determined way, in manner, judgments, or mode of life: He is young to be so settled in his ways.

Example Sentences

With its collection of hand-painted canvases and stuffed animals, though, the Teen Line corner is easy to pick out in the sea of staid cubicles.

From Los Angeles Times

His staid superhero movie plays like classic sci-fi in which adults wearing sweater vests solemnly brainstorm how to resolve a crisis.

From Los Angeles Times

This somewhat staid approach does not appear to have ignited much enthusiasm, but is still an improvement on what went before.

From BBC

Since becoming Health and Human Services secretary, Kennedy has turned the staid world of immunizations on its ear.

From Salon

He used to present as a staid mainline Episcopalian, but now he denounces that church and speaks of being "mauled by demons."

From Salon

Related Words

• decorous 
• dignified 
• sedate 
• sober 
• solemn 
• somber 
• stuffy