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calmly

adverb

Simple meaning

In a sedate way.

Pronunciation

Say it like this:

kahmlee

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US device voice
IPA pronunciation (US)

ˈkɑmli

This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.

IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.

Word Review

Definition

Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.

adverb

  1. In a calm manner; coolly.

  2. In a sedate manner

Word at a Glance

Difficulty
C1 · Advanced
Frequency
Uncommon
Typical Use
Primarily written

Word Aura™

How this word commonly comes across.

Aura for this meaning

This meaning: In a calm manner; coolly.

Used this way, calmly is a reasonably familiar word with a clearly warm, approving pull. It stays understated rather than dramatic. It keeps things gentle rather than emphatic.

Emotional tone
Positive
Formality
Neutral
Intensity
Mild
How common
Moderately common
Connotation
Calm and reassuring
Usage feel
Understated and gentle

Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.

More ways to use calmly

  • “He spoke calmly to the rioting students.”adverb

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Word Family

Related forms, grouped by how they connect.

Inflected forms

Grammatical variations of the same word.

  • calmverbBase word

    Make calm or still.

Word family

Words built from the same root.

  • calmnessnounDerived noun

    Steadiness of mind under stress.

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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.