poised
Calm, steady and ready to act.
poised in a sentence
- The cat sat poised on the fence, perfectly still and ready to leap at any moment.
- The diver stood poised on the edge of the board, calm and ready for the whistle.
Try an 11+ style question
Verbal reasoning papers often ask about a word like this.
Which word is closest in meaning to poised?
- Anervous
- Bready
- Cshaky
- Dclumsy
Show the answer
B: ready. The other three mean the opposite of poised.
Which word is most nearly opposite in meaning to poised?
- Acalm
- Bshaky
- Csteady
- Dready
Show the answer
B: shaky. The other three mean nearly the same as poised.
Words that mean something similar
ready, steady, calm
Words that mean the opposite
shaky, clumsy, nervous
More words about character & personality
- pompous: Acting too grand and important.
- prudent: Careful and sensible, thinking ahead before you act.
- quirky: Unusual in an interesting or charming way.
- rascal: A cheeky person who behaves badly in a playful way.
- renowned: Famous and admired by many people.
- resilient: Able to bounce back quickly after something bad happens.
- rogue: Someone who behaves badly or dishonestly, but is often likeable.
- ruthless: Cruel and showing no pity at all.
More words to explore
Sitting the 11+ in Kent, Medway or Buckinghamshire?
Plain-English guides to each test, from the councils’ own pages: Kent Test · Medway Test · Bucks Secondary Transfer Test