- habitually calm and composed in manner; serene
- staid, sober, or decorous
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
se•date /sɪˈdeɪt/USA pronunciation
adj., v., -dat•ed, -dat•ing.
adj.
v. [~ + object]
se•da•tion /sɪˈdeɪʃən/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]The patient is under sedation.
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026adj.
- calm, quiet, or composed:Unlike her lively friend, she was quiet and sedate.
v. [~ + object]
- Medicineto cause to become sleepy or calm, as by taking a sedative:The nurse sedated the patient before the operation.
se•da•tion /sɪˈdeɪʃən/USA pronunciation n. [uncountable]The patient is under sedation.
se•date
(si dāt′),USA pronunciation adj., v., -dat•ed, -dat•ing.
adj.
v.t.
se•date′ly, adv.
se•date′ness, n.
adj.
- calm, quiet, or composed;
undisturbed by passion or excitement:a sedate party; a sedate horse.
v.t.
- Medicineto put (a person) under sedation.
- Latin sēdātus (past participle of sēdāre to allay, quieten); akin to sedēre to sit1
- 1640–50
se•date′ness, n.
- 1. collected, serene, unruffled, unperturbed. See staid.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
sedate /sɪˈdeɪt/ adj
sedate /sɪˈdeɪt/ vb
- (transitive) to administer a sedative to
'sedate' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):