staid

1 of 2

adjective

ˈstād 

: marked by settled sedateness and often prim self-restraint : sober, grave

staidly adverb

staidness noun

staid

2 of 2

past tense and past participle of stay

Synonyms

Adjective

• earnest
• grave
• humorless
• no-nonsense
• po-faced [British]
• sedate
• serious
• severe
• sober
• sobersided
• solemn
• uncomic
• unsmiling
• weighty

Choose the Right Synonym for staid

serious, grave, solemn, sedate, staid, sober, earnest mean not light or frivolous.

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 staid in a Sentence

Adjective

a staid and solemn businessman

everyone was surprised by the racy joke from the usually staid professor

Recent Examples on the Web

Adjective

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

Policy changes take time, and for an industry sector used to moving quickly, this more staid pace of change could easily turn into frustration. —Sean Stein Smith, Forbes, 19 Jan. 2025

The more staid setting, here, may seem outside her dramatic comfort zone, though Headland was raised in a strict Christian family. —Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 12 Dec. 2024

Word History

Etymology

Adjective

from past participle of stay entry 3

First Known Use

Adjective

1557, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for staid

• aid
• aide
• bade
• blade
• braid
• clade
• dade
• fade
• flayed
• fraid
• frayed
• gade

Kids Definition

staid

1 of 2 adjective

ˈstād 

1

: not easily changed : settled, fixed

a staid opinion

2

a

: calm and serious in manner, attitude, or style

b

: not bold, bright, or showy

staid colors

staidly adverb

staidness noun

staid

2 of 2

past and past participle of stay