Meaning of peaceful in English

peaceful

adjective

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

/ˈpiːs.fəl/ us

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

/ˈpiːs.fəl/

peaceful adjective (NO VIOLENCE)

without violence:

peaceful demonstrators

She hoped the different ethnic groups in the area could live together in peaceful co-existence.

More examples

the onerous task of finding a peaceful solution
a peaceful protest
The president is predisposed towards negotiation and favours a peaceful way of resolving the crisis.
Her speech about the need for a peaceful solution to the crisis fell on stony ground.
There has been a dramatic shift in public opinion towards peaceful negotiations.

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Peaceful and tranquil

See more results »

You can also find related words, phrases, and synonyms in the topics:

Peace

Want to learn more?

Improve your vocabulary with English Vocabulary in Use from Cambridge.
Learn the words you need to communicate with confidence.

peaceful adjective (CALM)

quiet and calm:

a peaceful afternoon/place

Thesaurus: synonyms, antonyms, and examples

having little activity or excitement

quietWe live in a very quiet neighbourhood.
peacefulHe needed a peaceful place to write his novels.
sleepyThey retired to a sleepy little village.
tranquilThe hotel is in a tranquil rural setting.
restfulOur holiday was quiet and restful.

See more results »

SMART Vocabulary: related words and phrases

Calm and relaxed

See more results »

Related words

peacefully adverb

peacefulness noun

(Definition of peaceful from the Cambridge Advanced Learner's Dictionary & Thesaurus © Cambridge University Press)

peaceful | American Dictionary

peaceful

adjective [ not gradable ]

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

/ˈpis·fəl/

free from war or violence:

The US is promoting a peaceful and rapid solution to the present crisis.

calm and quiet; free from worries or annoyances:

It’s so peaceful by the lake.

peacefully

adverb [ not gradable ] us

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

/ˈpis·fə·li/

She died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 90.

peacefulness

noun [ U ] us

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

/ˈpis·fəl·nəs/

(Definition of peaceful from the Cambridge Academic Content Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

peaceful | Business English

peaceful

adjective

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

/ˈpiːsfəl/ us

Your browser doesn't support HTML5 audio

not involving war or violence:

peaceful demonstration/protest/resolution People have the right to a peaceful demonstration.

(Definition of peaceful from the Cambridge Business English Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Examples of peaceful

peaceful

The end of the cold war has not been so peaceful or benevolent as many had anticipated.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Landscapes are peaceful and unscarred, animals roam free, children never grow up and work is virtually non-existent.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

These examples are from corpora and from sources on the web. Any opinions in the examples do not represent the opinion of the Cambridge Dictionary editors or of Cambridge University Press or its licensors.

More examples Fewer examples

We can do this by presenting societies whose ideological construction of human nature and behaviour is such as to favour peaceful coexistence.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

As more people became employed in peaceful pursuits, a less coercive, more individualistic society would appear.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Pluralism is a modern political concept of organising peaceful interaction between different groups, a very different process from the actual historical one.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The peaceful settlement of disputes by arbitration became increasingly common.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In the half-century after 1945, the borderlands assumed a more peaceful aspect.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Other acts of resistance were more peaceful, but equally organized.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The women entered the camp carrying grass (a sign of peaceful intentions).

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In this study, some participants talked about an obligation-free life or a peaceful mind as important factors in successful ageing.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

If the times were not peaceful, there would have been more capital crimes.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

In the circumstances, it may be worth considering two other possibilities which offer some hopes for peaceful co-existence between the warring communities.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

While the town might have seemed peaceful to the judge, it appeared otherwise to many residents.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

Aren't "underrepresented peaceful activities," such as working in a forest, as important for survival as appropriate response to threats?

From the Cambridge English Corpus

The president later defended in public the right of civil society to peaceful protest.

From the Cambridge English Corpus

See all examples of peaceful