Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Characterized by sedateness and often a strait-laced sense of propriety; serious and conventional.
  • adjective Fixed; permanent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A mode of spelling the preterit and past participle of stay.
  • Sober; grave; steady; sedate; regular; not wild, volatile, flighty, or fanciful: as, a staid elderly person.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • imp. & p. p. of stay.
  • adjective Sober; grave; steady; sedate; composed; regular; not wild, volatile, flighty, or fanciful.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Serious, organized, and professional; sober
  • adjective Always fixed in the same location; stationary

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective characterized by dignity and propriety

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From obsolete staid, past participle of stay.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Adjective use of stayed, past participle of stay.

Support

Help support Wordnik (and make this page ad-free) by adopting the word staid.

Examples

  • Her bright red shirt and quiet authority make her stand out from her hired managers and the men in staid blue button-downs that came from CiCi's corporate office to help with the launch.

    Recession, layoffs fuel many to start small businesses 2009

  • OGUNNAIKE: No one has seen anything like this especially in D.C. This town is usually known as staid, reserved.

    CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2009 2009

  • Young merchants in staid-looking business suits leaned against the railings of the bridge, their eyes lingering first on one group of girls and then on another.

    Katrinka: The Story of a Russian Child 1915

  • "Perhaps Captain staid up at Mrs. Vawse's," she said, "and didn't follow us down."

    The Wide, Wide World 1892

  • Poussin's A Dance to the Music of Time, countless paintings by Fragonard, Rubens, Reynolds, not to mention acres of armor-is sometimes described as a staid museum.

    Encounter Books 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    WNYMedia 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.