Definitions

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.

  • adjective Characterized by sedateness and often a strait-laced sense of propriety; serious and conventional.
  • adjective Fixed; permanent.

from The Century Dictionary.

  • noun A mode of spelling the preterit and past participle of stay.
  • Sober; grave; steady; sedate; regular; not wild, volatile, flighty, or fanciful: as, a staid elderly person.

from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.

  • adjective Sober; grave; steady; sedate; composed; regular; not wild, volatile, flighty, or fanciful.
  • imp. & p. p. of stay.

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

  • adjective Serious, organized, and professional; sober
  • adjective Always fixed in the same location; stationary

from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.

  • adjective characterized by dignity and propriety

Etymologies

from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition

[From obsolete staid, past participle of stay.]

from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License

Adjective use of stayed, past participle of stay.

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Examples

  • Her bright red shirt and quiet authority make her stand out from her hired managers and the men in staid blue button-downs that came from CiCi's corporate office to help with the launch.

    Recession, layoffs fuel many to start small businesses 2009

  • OGUNNAIKE: No one has seen anything like this especially in D.C. This town is usually known as staid, reserved.

    CNN Transcript Jan 19, 2009 2009

  • Young merchants in staid-looking business suits leaned against the railings of the bridge, their eyes lingering first on one group of girls and then on another.

    Katrinka: The Story of a Russian Child 1915

  • "Perhaps Captain staid up at Mrs. Vawse's," she said, "and didn't follow us down."

    The Wide, Wide World 1892

  • Poussin's A Dance to the Music of Time, countless paintings by Fragonard, Rubens, Reynolds, not to mention acres of armor-is sometimes described as a staid museum.

    Encounter Books 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    WNYMedia 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

  • Last night's Lee vs. Kryzan debate was pretty staid, which is to say boring.

    Buffalo Pundit 2009

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