All ten words describe calm, but calm of different kinds. A serene face and a tranquil lake are peaceful. A composed, unflappable or imperturbable person stays steady when trouble comes, and keeps their equanimity. An impassive, stoic or phlegmatic person shows little feeling at all. A nonchalant person seems not to care.
Key idea
Peaceful: serene, tranquil. Steady under stress: composed, unflappable, imperturbable, equanimity. Showing little feeling: impassive, stoic, phlegmatic. Unconcerned: nonchalant.
Careful: impassive (showing no feeling) and impassioned (full of feeling) look alike but mean opposite things.
The ten words
Common mistake
impassive (showing no feeling) is not impassioned (full of feeling); they are opposites. nonchalant can mean calm or too unconcerned.
| kind of calm | words |
|---|---|
| peaceful | serene, tranquil |
| steady under stress | composed, unflappable, imperturbable, equanimity |
| showing little feeling | impassive, stoic, phlegmatic |
| not caring much | nonchalant |
Stoic adds endurance: a stoic person bears pain or hardship without complaint. Phlegmatic describes a temperament: some people are simply born unexcitable.