measured
Americanadjective
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ascertained or apportioned by measure.
The race was over the course of a measured mile.
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accurately regulated or proportioned.
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regular or uniform, as in movement; rhythmical.
to walk with measured strides.
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deliberate and restrained; careful; carefully weighed or considered.
measured language; measured terms.
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in the form of meter or verse; metrical.
adjective
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determined by measurement
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slow, stately, or leisurely
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carefully considered; deliberate
Other Word Forms
- measuredly adverb
- measuredness noun
- well-measured adjective
Etymology
Origin of measured
Middle English word dating back to 1350–1400; measure, -ed 2
Explanation
Things done in a deliberate, rhythmic way are measured. When you're walking toward a deer in the woods, trying not to scare it off, you'll take slow, measured steps. When you meditate, you take measured breaths and pay attention to the inhale and exhale. And your measured strides up the side of a mountain trail will carry you more quickly to the top than short, erratic bursts of walking and stopping. Measured also means "thoughtful" or "careful," like the measured words you use in your delicately worded resignation letter.
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
China’s largely muted public reaction to President Trump’s Iran campaign reflects a measured effort to avoid risk while safeguarding its interests.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 15, 2026
Nowak says Meta trades at a discount to its large-cap peers when measured by its future earnings—around 18 times its 2027 earnings forecast.
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
To uncover this behavior, the team created exceptionally clean graphene samples and carefully measured how they conduct both electricity and heat.
From Science Daily • Apr. 15, 2026
But the risk premium offered by stocks — U.S. ones in particular — is still very low, as measured against 10-year bond yields.
From MarketWatch • Apr. 13, 2026
The scientists in 1980 measured the growth of the bulge over time from the Timberline and Coldwater II sites; scientists today are doing the same but collecting the information via satellites from space.
From "Mountain of Fire" by Rebecca E. F. Barone
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
