Definition of: calm

(käm) adjective
Free from disturbance or agitation; without motion; in repose; also, unmoved by passion or emotion; serene.
— noun
1. Stillness; serenity.
2. Lack of wind or motion. See synonyms under REST.
—v.t. To bring into repose; still; soothe.
—v.i. To become quiet or placid. See synonyms under ALLAY, SETTLE. [<MF calme <Ital. calma <LL cauma heat of the day <Gk. kauma heat; with ref. to the rest or siesta at midday]
—calm′ly adverb
—calm′ness noun Synonyms (adj.): collected, composed, cool, dispassionate, imperturbable, peaceful, placid, quiet, sedate, self–controlled, self–possessed, serene, smooth, still, tranquil, undisturbed, unruffled. That is calm which is free from disturbance or agitation; in the physical sense, free from violent motion or action; in the mental or spiritual sense, free from excited or disturbing emotion or passion. We speak of a calm sea, a placid lake, a serene sky, a still night, a quiet day, a quiet home. We speak, also, of still waters, smooth sailing, which are different modes of expressing freedom from manifest agitation. Cool, in this connection, always suggests the recognition of some form of danger or risk. One may be calm by assured superiority to danger, by ignorance of its existence or of its magnitude, or by indifference to the result, or by the apathy of hopelessness, as we speak of the calmness of despair; one is cool who, while intensely alive to danger or need, has all his faculties concentrated on the means of meeting or overcoming it; a calm boxer would probably be an easy victim, while a cool boxer would be a dangerous antagonist. Cool is stronger than composed or collected. One is composed who has subdued excited feeling; he is collected when he has every thought, feeling, or perception awake and at command. Tranquil refers to a present state, placid to a prevailing tendency. We speak of a tranquil mind, a placid disposition. The serene spirit dwells as if in the clear upper air, above all storm or agitation. See PACIFIC, SOBER. Antonyms: agitated, boisterous, disturbed, excited, fierce, frantic, frenzied, furious, heated, passionate, raging, roused, ruffled, stormy, turbulent, violent, wild, wrathful.