settled 1 of 2

adjective

1
as in deep
firmly established over time a remote village with a settled distrust of outsiders

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Relevance

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2
as in stable
having been established and usually not subject to change settled rules that cannot be disregarded when it is convenient to do so

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settled

2 of 2

verb

past tense of settle
1
as in filtered
to cause to come to rest at the bottom (as of a liquid) the light rain will settle the dust in the air careful handling will settle the lees in the bottom of the wine bottle

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2
as in populated
to supply with inhabitants the region was originally settled by farmers

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3
as in decided
to give an opinion about (something at issue or in dispute) settled the lawsuit in favor of the defendant

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4
as in arranged
to come to an agreement or decision concerning the details of settled their wedding plans without any major disagreements

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5
as in perched
to come to rest after descending from the air birds settling on the branches of the maple tree

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6
as in lodged
to establish or place comfortably or snugly settled the sleeping baby into her crib

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7
as in calmed
to free from distress or disturbance a hot meal settled the children down

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8
as in contained
to gain emotional or mental control of settled himself only with visible effort after the angry outburst

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9
as in paid
to give what is owed for settle a debt

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10
as in determined
to make final, definite, or beyond dispute this information should settle the question of who is right

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11
as in shushed
to stop the noise or speech of settled the class with a firm "quiet!"

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of settled
Adjective
In settled possession, expect to see fluidity from the midfielders. — Liam Tharme, New York Times, 18 Aug. 2026 Jacobs launched Marc by Marc Jacobs in 2001, cementing his eventual status as a fashion mogul — and, at moments throughout his career, as a kind of enfant terrible who, as it’s shown in this documentary, has cooled down a bit, more settled and reflective in his late career. — Ryan Lattanzio, IndieWire, 26 Feb. 2026 Of course the categories may overlap, but many of the young people in Astoria or Ridgewood-Bushwick have grown up in their parents’ homes in more settled parts of the city. — Dan Gooding, MSNBC Newsweek, 5 Nov. 2025 Erin Simkin—Netflix Advertisement Under Konner and Kaplan, Nobody Wants This has grown into a more settled and expansive show. — Esther Zuckerman, Time, 21 Oct. 2025
Verb
In many situations, several words could continue a sentence equally well, so the choice is normally settled at random. — New Atlas, 25 Aug. 2026 Before taking a position, understand what needs to be settled. — Joseph M. Singer, HollywoodReporter, 25 Aug. 2026 The first case was settled out of court, with the artist denying allegations and claiming fair use through her legal representative. — Devorah Lauter, ARTnews.com, 25 Aug. 2026 In total, Watson and his legal team settled or resolved 27 lawsuits. — Candace Buckner, New York Times, 25 Aug. 2026 Independent Chinese refiners take in the bulk of it, often rebranded as Malaysian or Indonesian crude and settled through intermediaries outside the dollar system, according to Kpler. — Anniek Bao, CNBC, 25 Aug. 2026 Andrew and Giuffre settled out of court for an undisclosed sum that year. — Stephanie Nolasco, FOXNews.com, 24 Aug. 2026 But during the meeting, the president also asked Rapino why the company hadn’t settled its antitrust case with the DOJ yet. — Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 24 Aug. 2026 Dean Logan, registrar-recorder and county clerk for Los Angeles County, also said the issue is far from settled. — Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 24 Aug. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for settled
  1. deep
  2. stable
  3. filtered
  4. populated
  5. decided
  6. arranged
  7. perched
  8. lodged
Adjective
  • At the start of the year, Iceland Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Gunnarsdottir said that deeper dialogue and collaboration with the EU would be a key factor in shoring up the country's interests.
    — Sam Meredith, CNBC, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Thankfully, his reappearance in the show actually has a deeper purpose.
    — Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 28 Aug. 2026
Definition of deep
Adjective
  • Dark matter has never been detected, but it is believed to make up 85% of the total matter in the universe and help hold stars and galaxies in stable orbits.
    — Ashley Strickland, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • At the time of transport, two patients were in serious condition and four were in stable condition.
    — Nour Rahal, Freep.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of stable
Verb
  • Sunlight bent and filtered through Earth's atmosphere leaks into the shadow, carrying the red-orange glow of every sunrise and sunset around the world.
    — Jamie Carter, Space.com, 21 Aug. 2026
  • The grading process was one of the places where Darlington and colorist Daniel Gill really wanted the image to look grounded and authentic, not polished and Instagram-filtered.
    — Sarah Shachat, IndieWire, 19 Aug. 2026
Definition of filtered
Verb
  • This situates it alongside the North Atlantic ocean that's populated with a variety of different kinds of whales.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Last awards season, the gossip around town, salacious and disturbing in equal measure, was that hotel suites all over Hollywood were populated by tailors taking in gowns coming straight off the runway.
    — Marti Noxon, HollywoodReporter, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of populated
Verb
  • Leading the way in court There are dozens of cases across the country surrounding the legal status of prediction sites, and experts believe the matter will eventually be decided by the Supreme Court.
    — Marshall Cohen, CNN Money, 30 Aug. 2026
  • For decades, an attacker discovered a vulnerability, a security tool generated an alert, an analyst investigated it, the issue was escalated and eventually someone decided what to do.
    — Emil Sayegh, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of decided
Verb
  • Gayle Conran Each of the ryokans served set meals, kaiseki-style, elaborately arranged, with an array of 12 or more small lacquer and porcelain dishes.
    — Everett Potter, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • The printing process can also control how different materials are arranged, allowing different sections of an object to respond differently.
    — Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 30 Aug. 2026
Definition of arranged
Verb
  • And when the sun starts its nightly descent, grab an aperitivo at Terrazza Campari, perched just above the resort’s pristine sandy cove and crystal-blue waters.
    — Stephanie Orma, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2026
  • Emirates’ massive suite, which is perched over the center of Ashe, is being remodeled this year to emulate the spacious lounges and curved bar on its double-decker Airbus 380 planes.
    — Jordan Valinsky, CNN Money, 29 Aug. 2026
Definition of perched
Verb
  • Despite surgery, however, the bullet lodged inside his abdomen was not found, and his condition suddenly deteriorated.
    — Encyclopedia Britannica, Encyclopedia Britannica, 28 Aug. 2026
  • Castro is accused of firing a gun through the front door of a Minneapolis home, striking Sosa-Celis in the leg with a bullet that lodged in a child’s bedroom wall.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of lodged

Browse Nearby Words

settle
settled
settled (down)
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Cite this Entry

“Settled.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/settled. Accessed 1 Sep. 2026.

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