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staid

/steɪd/
IPA guide

Other forms: staider; staidest

Something that is staid is dignified, respectable — possibly even boring, like a staid dinner party that is heavy on the important guests but light on the laughs.

Staid is pronounced just like "stayed" — in fact, it comes from stay, meaning "fixed" or "permanent." Something that is staid is sedate, slightly dull, and tends to stay the same. Whether it’s a middle-class lifestyle, a conservative law firm, your unadventurous aunt, or an old navy plaid sofa, the word staid can be used to describe anything that maintains a respectable self-restraint and takes no chances.

Definitions of staid
  1. adjective
    characterized by dignity and propriety
    synonyms: sedate
    decorous
    characterized by propriety and dignity and good taste in manners and conduct
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