Staidness
noun ·Rare ·Advanced level
Definitions
- 1 The state or characteristic of being staid. uncountable, usually
"It is difficult to say whether Mr. John Dounce's red countenance, illuminated as it was by the flickering gas-light in the window before which he paused, excited the lady's risibility, or whether a natural exuberance of animal spirits proved too much for that staidness of demeanour which the forms of society rather dictatorially prescribe."
- 2 a trait of dignified seriousness wordnet
Example
More examples"It is difficult to say whether Mr. John Dounce's red countenance, illuminated as it was by the flickering gas-light in the window before which he paused, excited the lady's risibility, or whether a natural exuberance of animal spirits proved too much for that staidness of demeanour which the forms of society rather dictatorially prescribe."
Etymology
From staid + -ness.
More for "staidness"
Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.