Serene
adjective /sɪˈriːn/ — Calm, peaceful, and untroubled
Definition
Characterised by a quality of utter, undisturbed calm — the stillness of a surface with nothing moving beneath it, or the hard-won peace of someone who has found their centre.
Beyond the definition
Not blankness, but settledness. Serenity is peace that has learned to hold itself.
Origin & history
From Latin 'serenus' (clear, bright, unclouded). A serene sky is a clear one — no storm, no agitation, just uninterrupted light.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The lake was serene in a way that made everything else feel unnecessarily loud.
She had a serene quality that came not from ease but from having made peace with difficulty.
Serene is not the same as still. You can be serene while everything around you is moving.
Synonyms
Antonyms
agitated, turbulent, anxious, 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.
Fictional scene
Adult sitting in vast room
An adult sits alone in a sparse, minimalist room with only a large window looking out toward an open landscape.
The undisturbed calm of the minimalist space, coupled with the open view, gives the scene a quality of serene stillness. It represents the hard-won peace of someone who has found their center and is comfortable in the absence of noise.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration