serious implies a concern for what really matters.
a serious play about social injustice
grave implies both seriousness and dignity in expression or attitude.
read the proclamation in a grave voice
solemn suggests an impressive gravity utterly free from levity.
a sad and solemn occasion
sedate implies a composed and decorous seriousness.
remained sedate amid the commotion
staid suggests a settled, accustomed sedateness and prim self-restraint.
a quiet and staid community
sober stresses seriousness of purpose and absence of levity or frivolity.
a sober look at the state of our schools
earnest suggests sincerity or often zealousness of purpose.
an earnest reformer
Examples of sedate in a Sentence
Adjective
We walked the beach at a sedate pace.
He remained sedate under pressure. Verb
The doctor sedated the patient heavily.
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Adjective
There are still thousands dotted along the way, watching the women’s race on their phones, and then the finish line by Chiswick Bridge is a more sedate affair, albeit one still fuelled by copious drinks.—Tim Spiers, New York Times, 14 Apr. 2025 As previously reported, the largest shark alive today, reaching up to 20 meters long, is the whale shark, a sedate filter feeder.—Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, 9 Mar. 2025
Verb
The final 10 kilometres of stage eight were as dramatic as the previous 161 had been sedate, the peloton largely treating themselves to a more relaxed — albeit still quite rapid — day after a tense opening week.—Jacob Whitehead, New York Times, 12 July 2025 In this case that means the strong looks are backed by a well-vetted, but pretty sedate 2.0-liter four-cylinder.—New Atlas, 11 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for sedate
Word History
Etymology
Adjective
Latin sedatus, from past participle of sedare to calm; akin to sedēre to sit — more at sit
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