Sedate — Meaning, Definition & Synonyms

adjective verb /si-ˈdāt/ se·date

Meaning & Definition of Sedate

Sedate (adjective)

  1. keeping a quiet steady attitude or pace, unruffled

Sedate (verb)

  1. to dose with sedatives

Sedate (adjective) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. not joking or playful in mood or manner

    "while not exactly cold, the doctor does maintain a sedate and purely professional demeanor with his patients"

    similar: earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced (British), serious, severe, sober, sobersided, solemn, staid, uncomic, unsmiling, weighty
    related: harsh, stern, strict, businesslike, professional, dignified, distinguished, elevated, serious-minded, gloomy, grim
    opposite: facetious, flip, flippant, humorous, jesting, jocular, joking, kittenish, ludic, playful
    near: antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, hysterical, laughable, light, light-headed, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, goofy, harebrained, lighthearted, puerile, scatterbrained, absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless, cockeyed, crazy, cuckoo, daffy, daft, dotty, fatuous, foolish, half-witted, insane, jerky, kooky, loony, mad, nonsensical, nutty, preposterous, sappy, screwball, senseless, silly, unwise, wacky, weak-minded, witless, zany

  2. free from emotional or mental agitation

    "her expression remained sedate as I told her the bad news"

    similar: calm, collected, composed, cool, coolheaded, equal, level, limpid, peaceful, placid, possessed, recollected, self-composed, self-possessed, serene, smooth, together, tranquil, undisturbed, unperturbed, unruffled, unshaken, untroubled, unworried, at peace
    related: even, even-keeled, steady, well-adjusted, well-balanced, imperturbable, nerveless, unflappable, unshakable, centered, disciplined, equable, self-contained, self-controlled, affable, breezy, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky, laid-back, loosey-goosey, mellow, carefree, nonchalant, unconcerned, assured, confident, self-assured, aloof, detached, dispassionate, indifferent, bovine, impassive, phlegmatic, sober, stolid, relaxed, relieved, tranquilized
    opposite: agitated, discomposed, disturbed, flustered, perturbed, unglued, unhinged, unstrung, upset
    near: anxious, bothered, distressed, uneasy, unquiet, unsettled, worried, jittery, jumpy, nervous, restless, skittish, tense, high-strung, unstable, uptight

Sedate (verb) — Senses, Synonyms & Antonyms

  1. as in stupefy, narcotize

    similar: narcotize, stupefy, allay, alleviate, assuage, ease, lay, mitigate, quell, relax, relieve, solace, appease, conciliate, hush, mollify, pacify, placate, becalm, calm, compose, lull, lullaby, quiet, quieten (chiefly British), salve, settle, soothe, still, tranquilize
    opposite: agitate, discompose, disquiet, disturb, key (up), perturb, upset, vex, aggravate, heighten, intensify, arouse, excite, foment, incite, rouse, stir (up), work up

Synonyms, Thesaurus & Another Word for Sedate

The most common words with a similar meaning to Sedate:

British: po-faced
Chiefly British: quieten
earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, serious, severe, sober, sobersided, solemn, staid, uncomic, unsmiling, weighty, calm, collected, composed, cool, coolheaded, equal, level, limpid, peaceful, placid, possessed, recollected, self-composed, self-possessed, serene, smooth, together, tranquil, undisturbed, unperturbed, unruffled, unshaken, untroubled, unworried, at peace, narcotize, stupefy

Antonyms & Opposite Words for Sedate

Words with the opposite meaning of Sedate:

facetious, flip, flippant, humorous, jesting, jocular, joking, kittenish, ludic, playful, agitated, discomposed, disturbed, flustered, perturbed, unglued, unhinged, unstrung, upset, agitate, discompose, disquiet, disturb, key (up), perturb, vex, aggravate, heighten, intensify, arouse

Related Words for Sedate

harsh, stern, strict, businesslike, professional, dignified, distinguished, elevated, serious-minded, gloomy, grim, even, even-keeled, steady, well-adjusted, well-balanced, imperturbable, nerveless, unflappable, unshakable, centered, disciplined, equable, self-contained, self-controlled, affable, breezy, devil-may-care, easygoing, happy-go-lucky

Near Antonyms of Sedate

antic, comic, comical, droll, farcical, funny, hilarious, hysterical, laughable, light, light-headed, ludicrous, ridiculous, riotous, risible, screaming, sidesplitting, uproarious, featherbrained, flighty, frivolous, goofy, harebrained, lighthearted, puerile, scatterbrained, absurd, asinine, balmy, brainless

Word Forms of Sedate

Inflections: sedated, sedating

Derived words: sedately (adverb), sedateness (noun)

Origin & Etymology of Sedate

Latin sedatus, from past participle of sedare to calm; akin to sedēre to sit sit

First known use: 1693

Frequently Asked Questions about Sedate

What does "Sedate" mean?

"Sedate" means keeping a quiet steady attitude or pace, unruffled. As an an adjective and a verb, it is defined as: keeping a quiet steady attitude or pace, unruffled. It has 3 distinct senses.

What is another word for "Sedate"?

Other words for "Sedate" include earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced, serious, severe and sober. The best synonym depends on which meaning of "Sedate" you intend.

What are different ways to say "Sedate"?

There are 118 words and phrases with a similar meaning to "Sedate". Common alternatives include earnest, grave, humorless, no-nonsense, po-faced, serious, severe, sober, sobersided and solemn.

What is the opposite of "Sedate"?

Antonyms of "Sedate" include facetious, flip, flippant, humorous, jesting, jocular, joking and kittenish. Near antonyms include antic, comic, comical and droll.

How do you use "Sedate" in a sentence?

Examples of "Sedate" in a sentence: "while not exactly cold, the doctor does maintain a sedate and purely professional demeanor with his patients"; "her expression remained sedate as I told her the bad news".

Is "Sedate" a noun, verb, or adjective?

"Sedate" can be used as an adjective and a verb, depending on the context.

How do you pronounce "Sedate"?

"Sedate" is pronounced /si-ˈdāt/ and divided into syllables as se·date.

What is the origin of the word "Sedate"?

"Sedate" comes from Latin sedatus, from past participle of sedare to calm; akin to sedēre to sit sit. First known use: 1693.