adjective

composed

/kəmˈpoʊzd/ · say it: kuhm·POZD

calm and in control of one's feelings

In Emotions & Moods

In more detail

1. (adjective) calm and in control of your emotions

2. (adjective) created or written by someone, especially music or poetry

Examples

1. She remained composed even when the building alarm went off.
2. He composed a beautiful symphony for the orchestra.

How to use composed

When describing emotional state, 'composed' suggests a dignified calmness maintained even under pressure, more formal than 'calm' and implying self-control. When describing creative work, 'composed' is the standard past participle of 'compose' and commonly appears with 'of' to describe what something is made from, or independently to describe authorship of music or literary works.

Common phrases

remain composed
stay composed
keep one's composure
composed manner
composed expression
composed of

Synonyms

calm · serene · collected · poised · unruffled

Opposites

agitated · flustered · anxious

Word family

compose (verb) · composition (noun) · composer (noun) · composure (noun) · decompose (verb)

A common mistake

Learners sometimes confuse 'composed of' (meaning 'made up of') with 'comprised of'; 'composed of' is correct, but 'comprised of' is considered non-standard by many style guides.

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