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Synonym Chooser

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

Some common synonyms of staid are earnest, grave, sedate, serious, sober, and solemn. While all these words mean "not light or frivolous," staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.

a quiet and staid community

Where would earnest be a reasonable alternative to staid?

While the synonyms earnest and staid are close in meaning, earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.

an earnest reformer

When can grave be used instead of staid?

While in some cases nearly identical to staid, grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.

read the proclamation in a grave voice

When is sedate a more appropriate choice than staid?

The meanings of sedate and staid largely overlap; however, sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.

remained sedate amid the commotion

In what contexts can serious take the place of staid?

The words serious and staid can be used in similar contexts, but serious implies a concern for what really matters.

a serious play about social injustice

When could sober be used to replace staid?

In some situations, the words sober and staid 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 staid?

The words solemn and staid are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.

a sad and solemn occasion

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 staid But Wilson’s address was a profound, unprecedented, and welcome departure from the typical, staid, recitation of facts and figures. Steve Zeidman, New York Daily News, 11 Feb. 2025 The first is Teleprompter Trump, who reads a prepared speech and tends to be staid, sleepy, and insincere. Vox Staff, Vox, 23 Jan. 2025 The eight-sided building is a staid and proper classical structure at first glance, but a closer look reveals a lively romp through aquatic life in almost every stone, metal, glass and terra cotta detail, inside and out. Edward Keegan, Chicago Tribune, 23 Feb. 2025 What’s going to happen when two brides and their guests—one set consisting mostly of rowdy Gen Z-types, the other a more staid bunch decked out in tasteful navy blazers and flowery garden-party dresses—descend upon an island wedding venue that can barely handle half of them? Stephanie Zacharek, TIME, 30 Jan. 2025 See All Example Sentences for staid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for staid
Adjective
  • The noble profile of a solemn, aging Great Dane named Apollo dominates Scott McGehee and David Siegel’s The Friend, a movie nominally about the difficulties of caring for a pet in New York City.
    Bilge Ebiri, Vulture, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Then, with his hopes of starting the season in the major leagues officially dashed, Hinch and his family began the solemn drive from Philly to the team’s Triple-A site in Scranton, Pa.
    Cody Stavenhagen, The Athletic, 25 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • The far more imposing limit is MLS’s global standing.
    Jeff Rueter, The Athletic, 8 Feb. 2025
  • And on the other hand, in a world where most of their top arms remain healthy and effective, the Dodgers could possess one of the most imposing starting pitching staffs in recent memory.
    Jack Harris, Los Angeles Times, 18 Jan. 2025
Adjective
  • The most serious charge carries up to 10 years in prison, while the others have a five-year maximum term.
    Jason Meisner, Chicago Tribune, 6 Apr. 2025
  • No one is more than a degree or two of separation from someone with a serious health condition.
    Primary care physicians, Hartford Courant, 6 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Michel Koopman is the CEO & Founder at CxO Coaching, with a distinguished career as a senior operator and entrepreneur.
    Michel Koopman, Forbes.com, 2 Apr. 2025
  • Nestled along the storied banks of the River Thames, 15 Cheyne Walk stands as one of Chelsea’s most distinguished homes, a residence steeped in history, grandeur, and a 300-year-old legacy.
    Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 2 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Fifteen games have passed since, cementing Deepdale as one of the sternest away trips in the English Football League.
    Sam Tighe, New York Times, 28 Mar. 2025
  • Of course this new yacht features the wide open stern and three-level beach club Bagliettos are known for.
    Bill Springer, Forbes.com, 27 Mar. 2025
Adjective
  • On Friday, Trump also sent Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to attend the dignified transfer of four American soldiers who died during a training exercise in Lithuania last week at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware.
    Ian Swanson, The Hill, 6 Apr. 2025
  • Karl Johnson makes an excellent Firs, the ancient servant who regrets the freeing of the serfs and who alternates between dignified paeans to the old days and mumbling streams of profanities.
    Sara Holdren, Vulture, 4 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • Aside from a series of gruesome martyr scenes frescoed on the interior wall of the second ring in the late 16th century, the decor reflects late Imperial taste for decorous abstraction and costly materials.
    The New York Times, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Mar. 2025
  • Is there any decorous way to acknowledge my failure to do so over the past few years and to express my regret?
    Judith Martin, The Mercury News, 22 Feb. 2025
Adjective
  • At Watches and Wonders there will be an immersive booth that reinterprets the grand stables of aristocratic houses, where polo was played on private fields.
    Samantha Conti, Footwear News, 1 Apr. 2025
  • The backstory: In 1654, these some 7,500 acres of ancient woodlands and meadows were acquired by the aristocratic Clerk family (who still own it today), who quickly set about establishing it as a hub for the aesthetic and intellectual elite of their time.
    Liam Hess, Vogue, 31 Mar. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Staid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/staid. Accessed 14 Apr. 2025.

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