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calming

calming

6 2.6
An action that makes someone less angry or upset
  • noun
  • /ˈkɑːlmɪŋ/
translation icon : calmante
  • Its slow pace, with few words and calming illustrations, helped my kids fall asleep night after night after night.
  • calming effects
  • traffic calming

Examples

  • Many people find that meditation has a calming effect on their minds.

  • There's something so calming about walking a dog.

  • I feel like the crew chief needs like a nice calming presence.

  • You could try my calming chair on him.

  • The very least that may happen is the calming of self.

    Blog text (14)
  • Her calming touch was a signal to him to stop growling, not to appear too threatening.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • The house around him was orderly and neat, as always, and as always he found that calming.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • The calming effects that students noticed persisted throughout the semester.

    Academic text (2015)
  • Don't you find the repetition calming?

  • I heard you couldn't sleep last night, so I had some calming tea prepared and found some century-old ginseng from Mount Ling, hoping it will help you sleep better, Mother.

Synonyms

appeasement
vscalming
22 7.4

To calm someone by giving in to their demands to avoid conflict

is broader, covering any soothing method not only giving in
mollification
vscalming
  • Formal
8.4

An action that calms someone who is angry

is more general and less formal in tone
pacification
vscalming
7.7

Calming people who are angry or upset

is more general and less formal in tone

Antonyms

58 7.2

An action or comment that makes someone react, often making them angry

12 5.1

A feeling of nervous worry and restlessness

Compounds

A place that makes people feel relaxed and peaceful

A color like blue or green that helps you feel calm

How Calming

calming
6 2.6
soothing
81 2.9
appeasing
6.3

Surface Forms

calming singular
calmings plural

Morphology

calming = calm (transparent) = calm + ing

Formed by the verb 'calm' + the productive noun-forming/gerund suffix '-ing', so the meaning is directly the act or process of making calm.

Etymology

The word calming comes from the simple word calm, which means 'quiet' or 'still', plus the ending -ing that shows an action. So calming means 'making someone or something quiet and less upset, angry, or worried'.