Meaning & use
even-keeled
Last updated
Meanings
adjectivenot comparableapproving
Calm and steady, not easily upset or excited.
Grammar: Usually not compared: you say someone is even-keeled, not more even-keeled, though more even-keeled is sometimes used in writing.
Patterns
- be even-keeled
- stay even-keeled
- an even-keeled person
She stayed even-keeled even when the client complained loudly.
He is an even-keeled manager who listens before he speaks.
Her even-keeled manner helped the team through the crisis.
adjectivenot comparableapproving
Not changing much in level or amount; stable and balanced.
Grammar: Used mainly in writing about markets, moods, or situations that remain steady.
Patterns
- remain even-keeled
- an even-keeled market
The market remained even-keeled despite the news.
His mood was even-keeled all week.
Common combinations
- stay even-keeled
- Try to stay even-keeled when you get bad news.
- an even-keeled personality
- Her even-keeled personality makes her a good negotiator.
- remain even-keeled
- He remained even-keeled throughout the interview.
- calm and even-keeled
- The pilot sounded calm and even-keeled on the radio.
Synonyms and how they differ
- calm
- Calm is a more general word for not being excited or worried; even-keeled stresses steady behavior over time.
- level-headed
- Level-headed means able to think clearly in a difficult situation; even-keeled focuses more on steady emotions.
- steady
- Steady can describe anything that does not change; even-keeled is used mostly for people and moods.
Opposites
Word family
- even-keeledness noun
- The quality of being calm and steady (rare).
Commonly confused: even-keeled or even?
even-keeled vs even
Even alone means flat, equal, or level; even-keeled is a fixed phrase meaning calm and steady.
Practice
Choose the sentence that uses even-keeled correctly.
Choose one answer.
Even-keeled is an adjective meaning calm and steady, so it fits after is in option 1. The other options use it as a verb, which is not correct.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “even-keeled”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.