placidity

[ pluh-sid-i-tee ]

noun

1. a calm or peaceful quality; tranquility; serenity:

   It’s not uncommon for visitors to regard the placidity of Canada’s Peyto Lake as a spiritual experience.

2. lack of interest or proper concern, energy, or action; complacency or apathy:

   In a society that mistakes placidity for gentleness, I think we need spaces to explore, develop, and harness righteous anger.

Other Words From

• un·plac·id·ness noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of placidity¹

First recorded in 1610–20; placid ( def ) + -ity ( def )

Example Sentences

I had been struck by the placidity of Courtney’s life in the public eye.

From New York Times

She lets the camera drink in the differences between their big-city home environs and the placidity of their woody, lakeside getaway.

From Los Angeles Times

Kemp’s contrasting placidity conceals an urgency even though he has led Abrams by about five percentage points all year, which Monday’s debate probably did not alter.

From Washington Post

The stylistic placidity draws attention to the disturbance of Hildy’s alcoholism, the way her drinking interrupts even the film’s genre.

From New York Times

What might have been striking about Saturday was its placidity, especially in a month not famed for meteorological serenity.

From Washington Post