sedate
sed·ate/səˈdeɪt/adjective, verb
sedate is spelled S-E-D-A-T-E: 6 letters and 2 syllables (sed·ate). It appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, sedate means “Of a person or animal, or their behaviour: calm and composed (often in a dignified manner), and avoiding or unaffected by activity or excitement” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in sedate?
| Letters | 6: S-E-D-A-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: sed·ate |
| In writing | about once in every 2 million words; the 38,863rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is sedate?
Sedate appears about once in every 2 million words in written English, the 38,863rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce sedate?
- UK /sɪˈdeɪt/
- US /səˈdeɪt/
Sedate has 2 syllables, split sed·ate in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-sedate.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with sedate?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as sedate from its last stressed vowel (/eɪt/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: seated.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of sedate
- more sedate comparative
- sedater comparative
- most sedate superlative
- sedatest superlative
- sedates present, singular, he/she/it
- sedating participle, present
- sedated participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does sedate mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of a person or animal, or their behaviour: calm and composed (often in a dignified manner), and avoiding or unaffected by activity or excitement.
- 2
Of an object, particularly a building: not overly ornate or showy; not having a strong colour or design.
- 3
Of writing: not emotional; calm, composed.
- 4
obsoleteOf one's mind, thoughts, etc.: calm, sober.
- 5
obsoleteOf an object: not moving; at rest, quiet, still; also, moving smoothly and steadily.
verb
- 1
To give (a person) a sedative to calm them or put them to sleep; to tranquilize.
- 2
obsoleteTo make (someone or something) calm or tranquil; to assuage, to calm, to soothe.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Sedate in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to give (a person) a sedative to calm them or put them to sleep – see also tranq:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does sedate come from?
The adjective is derived from Late Middle English sedate (“not painful or sore”), and directly from its etymon Latin sēdātus (“calm, quiet, composed”), participial adjective from sēdō (“to allay, appease, calm, settle; to end, stop”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sed- (“to sit”). Compare English -ate (suffix forming adjectives meaning ‘characterized by [the thing specified]’).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).