# peaceful

Pronunciation: say "PEES-ful" /ˈpiːsfl̩/

## Adjective

1. Not at war, and not troubled by conflict, strife, or violent unrest.
   - Simple: Not fighting or at war, and free from trouble or unrest.
   - _The region remained peaceful throughout the decade of negotiations._
   - _A peaceful transfer of power followed the disputed election._
2. Marked by stillness and calm, with no movement or commotion.
   - Simple: Very still and quiet, with no movement or noise.
   - _The garden lay peaceful at dawn, not a single leaf stirring._
   - _Her face looked peaceful as she slept by the window._
3. Naturally disposed toward peace and reluctant to enter into conflict.
   - Simple: Liking peace and not wanting to fight or argue.
   - _By temperament she was peaceful, always preferring to talk things through._
   - _The peaceful protesters refused to answer insults with violence._

## Noun

4. An offensive term for a Muslim, especially one implying a violent member of a radical Islamist group. *(India)*
   - Simple: A rude and insulting word for a Muslim, often used to mean a violent member of an extreme group.
   - _He was fired after calling a coworker a peaceful during the argument._
   - _The graffiti scrawled across the mosque branded the congregation peacefuls._

## Origin

**Meanings 1–3** — From Middle English peesful (also pesful, paisful), formed simply from "peace" plus the suffix "-ful."
**Meaning 4** — Derived from the derogatory term religion of peace, which is used against Islam itself for its association with violent attacks by Islamic extremists, and alleged support and lack of condemnation against them by certain Muslim communities.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/peaceful (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).