Relaxed

Part of speech: adjective

Pronunciation: /ɹɪˈlækst/

Definitions

1. Exhibiting a condition of being free from anxiety and stress
2. Being in a state without pressure or nervousness ; having been loosened or made less firm
3. Showing an absence of anxiety or tightness ; having had restrictions or tightness eased

Etymology: "Relaxed" is built from "relax" plus the "-ed" ending, and the verb it comes from is itself borrowed from Latin "relaxare", meaning "to loosen again" or "to slacken", from "re-" (back) and "laxare" (to loosen), the same root that gives "lax". The original sense was physical: to make something looser, less tight, or less rigid, as with a cord or a grip. The adjective took on the figurative meaning readers know today, free from tension or stress, by extending that idea of loosening from objects to people and their moods. A relaxed person is one whose tightness has been let out of them, which is why the same root also underlies the sense of easing a rule or restriction.

Synonyms: calm, untroubled, comfortable, easygoing, laid-back

Antonyms: tense, anxious, stressed, uptight, nervous