poise
poise
Pronunciation
Phonetic Spelling (IPA)
/pɔɪz/
This word has one syllable. The sounds are:
/p/: The initial p sound.
/ɔɪ/: The vowel sound, as in "boy" or "coin."
/z/: The final z sound (the 's' is voiced).
Word Form Variations
Noun: poise (This is typically an uncountable noun, so it does not have a common plural form.)
Verb: poise (base form) / poises (third-person singular) / poising (present participle) / poised (past tense and past participle)
Adjective: poised (describes someone or something that has poise or is ready)
Adverb: poisedly (describes an action done with poise)
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
A quality of graceful and elegant balance in one's posture or movement.
A state of mental calm, composure, and self-assurance, especially under pressure.
A state of physical equilibrium or balance; a stable suspension.
Synonyms: composure, grace, dignity, equanimity, self-possession, aplomb, balance, stability.
Antonyms: awkwardness, clumsiness, agitation, anxiety, instability, imbalance.
Verb
(transitive) To hold or balance something in a steady and stable position.
Example: She poised the pencil over the paper.
(intransitive) To be or become balanced or suspended.
Example: The eagle poised in the air before diving.
(transitive, usually as "poised to") To put oneself in a state of readiness for an action.
Example: The company is poised to launch its new product.
Synonyms: balance, hold, hover, suspend, position, ready, prepare.
Antonyms: drop, release, unbalance, destabilize.
Adjective (poised)
Having or showing a calm, confident, and graceful demeanor.
Example: The speaker remained poised despite the interruptions.
Being in a state of readiness or preparedness for immediate action; on the verge of.
Example: The cat was poised to pounce on the toy.
Synonyms: composed, self-assured, graceful, elegant, collected, ready, prepared, primed.
Antonyms: flustered, anxious, awkward, gauche, unprepared, unready.
Examples of Use
📰 Newspapers and Online Publications
This is one of the most common places to find the word, especially in business, finance, and sports reporting.
(Adjective - poised to): "Following a strong quarter, the company is poised to capture a larger share of the market." (Common in business articles, e.g., The Wall Street Journal or Bloomberg)
(Adjective - poised to): "The central bank is poised to raise interest rates for the third time this year." (Common in financial news, e.g., Reuters)
(Noun): "The rookie pitcher showed incredible poise on the mound, striking out the veteran batter to end the inning." (Common in sports coverage, e.g., ESPN)
(Adjective - poised): "During the intense press conference, the CEO remained poised and calmly answered every difficult question." (Common in political or corporate news)
📚 Books and Literature
In literature, "poise" is often used to describe a character's physical grace or mental composure.
(Noun): "She had... a cool, self-possessed manner, an easy grace of person, and a certain quality of charm, distinction, and poise." (Theodore Dreiser, Sister Carrie)
(Noun): "He lost his poise for a moment and stumbled, revealing the anxiety he was trying to hide."
(Verb): "The hunter poised his spear, his muscles tense, waiting for the exact right moment to throw."
🎬 Entertainment (Film, TV, and Platforms)
In entertainment, "poise" can appear in dialogue, reviews, or even instructional content.
(Dialogue): "You admire her? Her grace, her poise, her... social status?" (Paraphrased line from a period drama)
(Review): "It is a poised and masterful performance, capturing the character's quiet dignity in the face of tragedy." (Typical phrasing in a film review, e.g., Variety or The Hollywood Reporter)
(YouTube/Online Content): A YouTube video title might read, "How to Walk with Poise and Confidence" or "Public Speaking: 5 Tips to Maintain Your Poise."
🗣️ General Public Discourse
This is how you might hear the word used in everyday conversation, at work, or on social media.
(Noun): "I was so impressed with her at the job interview. She handled the technical questions with so much poise."
(Noun): "He has the perfect poise for a ballet dancer; every movement is so controlled."
(Adjective - poised): "It's a delicate situation, and we are poised on the brink of a major decision."
(Social Media): An Instagram caption on a photo of someone meditating by a lake might read: "Finding my poise before the week begins."
10 Famous Quotes Using Poise
"Poise is power." (Elbert Hubbard)
"The secret of poise is to know what to do next." (Karl Menninger)
"Poise is when you're crazy-scared, but you're not going to show it." (Casey Stengel)
"Poise, the first essential of good taste, is associated with self-control, with fitness." (Emily Post)
"Grace is the outward expression of an inward harmony of the soul, and poise is the manifestation of this grace." (Inayat Khan)
"Poise is a quality that cannot be acquired in hours." (Clarence Budington Kelland)
"We need in politics people who can represent the best of our tradition, and that's a matter of poise and grace." (Richard N. Goodwin)
"They had the poise of men who are not too sure of themselves." (Raymond Chandler, The Big Sleep)
"Poise is the ability to be ill at ease conspicuously." (Oliver Herford)
"Poise is a state of equilibrium, either of body or mind." (J. E. Dinger)
Etymology
The entire history of the word "poise" boils down to one simple, physical concept: weight.
The modern meaning of "composure" or "grace" is actually a beautiful metaphor that developed much later.
The Word's Journey
The Latin Root:
The story starts in Latin with the verb pendere ("to hang") and pensare ("to weigh"). This is the same root that gives us words like "pending" (hanging), "pendant" (a hanging piece of jewelry), and "pensive" (weighing one's thoughts). From this, the Romans got the noun pensum, which meant "a weight."The French Connection:
As Latin evolved into Old French, pensum (weight) became the word pois (which also meant "weight"). You can still see this in the modern French word poids, which means "weight."Arrival in English (The First Meaning):
"Poise" first appeared in English in the late 1300s, borrowed directly from the Old French pois.First Known Meaning: When it first arrived, "poise" did not mean "grace" or "composure." It literally meant "weight." You could talk about "a poise of gold" just as we would say "a weight of gold."
The First Verb: The verb "to poise" meant "to weigh," as in putting something on a scale to find its weight.
How "Weight" Became "Grace"
This is the most interesting part. The meaning shifted through a powerful visual metaphor: the balance scale.
For a scale to be "at rest" or "steady," the weights on both sides must be in perfect equilibrium or balance.
This idea of physical balance—being held steady, not tipping one way or the other—became the new meaning of "poise."
From there, it was a short leap to apply this concept to people. A person who is mentally "balanced," "steady," and not tipped over by anxiety or pressure, is a person who has poise.
So, when you see someone with poise, you are, in an old-fashioned sense, seeing someone whose mind and body are in perfect, graceful "balance"—just like an old scale.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Poise
Here is a list of phrases and idioms related to "poise" or its effects.
Poised to (do something)
Poised for (a specific outcome, e.g., "poised for success")
Poised on the brink/edge of
To keep one's poise
To lose one's poise
Poise under pressure
Grace and poise
Keep one's cool
Hold it together
To hang in the balance
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of poise from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
