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Glite Dictionary
stilly

stilly

1 9.9
A quiet, peaceful time or place with very little sound
  • adjective
  • /ˈstɪli/
  • Archaic
: tranquilo
  • The lake was stilly, reflecting the stars like a mirror on a tranquil night.
  • a stilly night

Examples

  • But they are unroofed, unfloored, even if stiffly (or stilly) present.

    Fiction book (1991)

  • In the stilly dawn, the world seemed to pause, enveloped in a gentle calm.

  • Oft in the stilly night, the trembling of a leaf can be heard... sighing through the trees.

    The Cocoanuts (1929)

  • The garden was filled with a stilly silence, as the sun set slowly behind the trees.

Synonyms

quiet
vsstilly
∞ 1.0

Not making much noise

expresses poetic, hushed peacefulness rather than mere low sound
calm
vsstilly
680 1.0

Not showing strong feelings and being very still

highlights poetic, hushed peace rather than emotional steadiness
placid
vsstilly
15 5.0

Calm and not easily upset, like a quiet lake

portrays a soft, poetic hush rather than resistant steadiness

Antonyms

noisy
129 1.0

Full of loud, unpleasant sounds

How Quiet

silent
278 1.0
hushed
44 4.1
stilly
  • Archaic
1 9.9
calm
680 1.0

Surface Forms

stilly positive

Morphology

stilly = still (transparent) = still + y

Formed directly from 'still' with the productive adjectival suffix '-y', so the meaning is clearly derived from 'still'.

Etymology

Stilly comes from the old English root still, meaning 'quiet' or 'not moving', plus the ending -y that means 'full of' that quality. So a 'stilly' lake has no ripples and feels very calm and quiet.