Placid
adjective /ˈplæsɪd/ — Calm and undisturbed — the surface smooth because the depths are genuinely still.
Definition
Not easily upset or excited; serene and calm; (of a place or body of water) pleasantly calm and peaceful without disturbance.
Beyond the definition
Placid is a deeper calm than serene — not the peace that's achieved, but the peace that simply is. A placid lake doesn't need to become still. It already is. The word evokes an environment where turbulence hasn't arrived and isn't coming.
Origin & history
From Latin placidus — calm, peaceful, gentle (from placere: to please). Related to the word 'please' — what pleases doesn't agitate. A calm that pleases by its very nature.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The lake was placid at dawn — mirror-flat, holding the mountains perfectly.
She had a placid temperament that people sometimes mistook for disengagement but was actually a form of deep settledness.
There's something almost unnerving about a placid surface — you wonder what's underneath it.
How to use it
This entry uses an adjective. Follow the examples for the nouns it describes and its position in the sentence.
Choose “Placid” when the meaning fits your context: Not easily upset or excited; serene and calm; (of a place or body of water) pleasantly calm and peaceful without disturbance.
Synonyms
Antonyms
agitated, turbulent, troubled, restless
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Illustrative example
Swans floating on quiet water
Several white swans float together on the surface of a calm, mirrored pond near a wooded shoreline.
The scene depicts a body of water that is undisturbed and serene. The swans add to the feeling of peacefulness, illustrating the definition of placid through the lack of movement or turbulence.
Image credit: Vasil.somecrow · CC0 (license)
Resized and converted to WebP; full composition retained.
Questions about this word
What does "Placid" mean?
Placid is adjective meaning: Calm and undisturbed — the surface smooth because the depths are genuinely still.. Not easily upset or excited; serene and calm; (of a place or body of water) pleasantly calm and peaceful without disturbance.
Where does the word "Placid" come from?
From Latin placidus — calm, peaceful, gentle (from placere: to please). Related to the word 'please' — what pleases doesn't agitate. A calm that pleases by its very nature.