serenity
Americannoun
-
the state or quality of being serene, calm, or tranquil; sereneness.
- Synonyms:
- peace, peacefulness, calm, composure
- Antonyms:
- agitation
-
(usually initial capital letter) a title of honor, respect, or reverence, used in speaking of or to certain members of royalty (usually preceded by his, your, etc.).
noun
-
the state or quality of being serene
-
(often capital) a title of honour used of certain royal personages: preceded by his, her, etc
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of serenity
First recorded in 1400–50; late Middle English serenite, from Latin serēnitās; see serene ( def. ), -ity ( def. )
Explanation
The goal of meditation is to reach a state of serenity, when your mind is still and perfectly calm. Use serenity to mean the quality or state of being calm and peaceful. It is hard to believe that the ocean, whipped by winds during a storm, can ever return to a state of serenity, where its surface looks as smooth as glass. And if you're babysitting your neighbor's rowdy triplets, you might long for the serenity of your quiet bedroom. Serenity is from the Latin serenus, meaning "calm or peaceful," plus the English suffix -ity, meaning "quality or state of."
Vocabulary lists containing serenity
100 Words Every Middle Schooler Should Know
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Essential Academic Vocabulary for Middle School Students, List 1
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100 SAT words Beginning with "S"
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Rollins recalled feeling a sort of serenity as he returned to New York, finding a new empathy in the metropolis.
From Barron's • May 26, 2026
The track fuses West Coast serenity with East Coast grit: Lush keys evoke California’s glow while steady rim clicks and a sticky piano hook capture the rhythm of 1970s New York.
From Los Angeles Times • May 19, 2026
Ross serenely demonstrated how to carve out serenity and beauty for ourselves, one canvas at a time.
From Salon • May 2, 2026
Isolde is a mercurial character, and Ms. Davidsen expressed her simmering rage, her girlish flirtatiousness, and her serenity in the “Liebestod.”
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 11, 2026
But now, at the advanced age of sixty-six, was it not natural to expect some semblance of serenity?
From "Founding Brothers: The Revolutionary Generation" by Joseph J. Ellis
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
