Thesaurus article: a calm person

a calm person

These words all refer to people who are peaceful, quiet, and not worried especially in difficult situations.

The most common word for this is calm.

The children were all calm and quiet during story time.

He is a gentle, calm fellow.

Two opposites of calm are anxious and nervous.

She was an anxious child who worried about everything.

I get nervous if he doesn't call often.

Are you nervous about the date tonight?

If someone is calm in a difficult situation, you can say they are cool or unruffled.

He was very cool about the problem and didn't shout or lose his temper.

He seemed remarkably unruffled for a man who was about to lose his job.

The idiom not lose your head can also be used when someone stays calm in a difficult situation.

She doesn't lose her head under pressure.

If someone is calm, especially in situations when it is surprising that they are calm, you can say they are (as) cool as a cucumber. You can also say they are unperturbed or, in informal contexts, unfazed.

He walked in cool as a cucumber, as if nothing were wrong.

He was completely unperturbed by her nasty remark.

She was unfazed by the news that he was leaving her.

If someone is very calm and in control of their emotions in difficult situations, you can say they are composed or are calm and collected. These words are used more in writing than in speech, and often refer to a person's response to a particular situation.

After being so composed throughout this season, the team suddenly became shaky.

She was very calm and collected in high-stress meetings.

The opposite of composed is excitable.

The children were easily excitable.

Someone who is unflappable or, formal contexts, imperturbable is calm and in control of their emotions in difficult situations because it is a part of their personality.

As an A & E doctor, she's got to be unflappable.

His imperturbable nature made him an excellent leader.

Level-headed is used to describe people who are able to stay calm and think clearly in a difficult situation.

She's very level-headed and unlikely to get upset by what has happened.

A person who is even-tempered has a calm personality and doesn't get upset, angry, or excited very easily or very often. Even-tempered is an approving word.

He's so even-tempered - he'll make an excellent teacher.

You can also use placid in the same way. Placid can also be used to describe a characteristic of a calm person.

She was a placid child who rarely cried.

He had a placid smile on his face.

The word serene describes the look of a person who is calm and unworried.

She had a serene look on her face.

His face was serene in sleep.

For more words related to being calm, see the article at relaxed.

to become calm or make someone calm