Meaning & use
levelheaded
Last updated
Meaning
adjectivecomparableapproving
Staying calm and thinking clearly, so that you make sensible choices even when things are difficult.
Grammar: Can come before a noun or after a linking verb: a levelheaded nurse, she stayed levelheaded.
Patterns
- stay levelheaded
- a levelheaded person
The levelheaded pilot calmly landed the plane after the engine failed.
She remained levelheaded during the argument and found a compromise.
We need a levelheaded friend to help us decide.
Word forms
| comparative | more levelheaded |
|---|---|
| superlative | most levelheaded |
Common combinations
- stay levelheaded
- It is hard to stay levelheaded when everyone is panicking.
- remain levelheaded
- She remained levelheaded after the shocking news.
- a levelheaded approach
- The team took a levelheaded approach to the crisis.
- levelheaded advice
- My grandfather's levelheaded advice saved me from a bad decision.
- a levelheaded leader
- A levelheaded leader keeps the team focused during a crisis.
Synonyms and how they differ
- sensible
- Sensible is a more general word about good judgment, while levelheaded stresses staying calm under pressure.
- composed
- Composed describes calm behavior and does not say anything about the quality of decisions.
- rational
- Rational focuses on being logical and not emotional, whereas levelheaded also suggests a steady personality.
- unflappable
- Unflappable is stronger and describes someone who almost never becomes upset.
Opposites
Word family
- level-headed adjective
- the hyphenated spelling of the same word
- levelheadedness noun
- the quality of being calm and sensible
- levelheadedly adverb
- in a calm and sensible way
- level adjective
- even and steady, the idea behind the compound
Commonly confused: levelheaded or lightheaded?
levelheaded vs lightheaded
Lightheaded means dizzy or faint, while levelheaded means calm and sensible.
Practice
When the power went out during the exam, the ____ teacher calmly handed out candles and carried on.
Choose one answer.
Levelheaded means calm and sensible under pressure. Hotheaded is the opposite, and lightheaded means dizzy.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “levelheaded”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.