stillness

C2+ Topic:Senses & Perception

US /ˈstɪlnəs/ UK /ˈstɪlnəs/ See IPA manual

noun

Meanings

1

noun
the absence of movement or sound; calm quiet

An eerie stillness settled over the empty street.

Thesaurus

Synonyms

1 noun · the absence of movement or... calm quiet tranquillity silence serenity peace placidity repose

Opposites

motion commotion turbulence noise activity

Word family

Related forms still

Etymology

From 'still' (Old English 'stille', motionless, calm, quiet) plus the native noun-forming suffix '-ness'.

stille Old English

View etymology graph ->

Topics

Senses & Perception Word Formation & Derivatives

# stillness

**Type:** Word
**Level:** C2+
**Part of speech:** noun
**IPA (US):** ˈstɪlnəs
**IPA (UK):** ˈstɪlnəs

## Meanings
1. the absence of movement or sound; calm quiet

## Examples
- An eerie stillness settled over the empty street.

## Synonyms
- calm
- quiet
- tranquillity
- silence
- serenity
- peace
- placidity
- repose

## Antonyms
- motion
- commotion
- turbulence
- noise
- activity

## Related Forms
- still

## Roots and Affixes
- Root: stille

## Etymology
From 'still' (Old English 'stille', motionless, calm, quiet) plus the native noun-forming suffix '-ness'.

## AI Etymology
Stillness comes from 'still' (Old English 'stille', motionless, calm, quiet) plus the native noun-forming suffix '-ness'. The suffix is part of the word's derivational shape, marking the final grammatical or semantic role while the base supplies the central meaning. As a noun, it denotes "the absence of movement or sound; calm quiet", keeping the historical idea close to its dictionary sense. Relevant historical forms include Old English stille. Related words include still.

## Topics
- Senses & Perception
- Word Formation & Derivatives

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stillness

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