An adjective for something peaceful but sad?

Question

I need an adjective for that please, is about the energy of the room feeling both sad but quiet and peaceful.

• There was a ____ atmosphere in the room.

Answer 1

Try sombre (US somber).

serious, sad, and without humour or entertainment:

a sombre atmosphere/voice/face

The funeral was a sombre occasion.

[Cambridge]

Answer 2

Perhaps the closest you'll get is melancholic:

melancholy [noun]:

a feeling of pensive sadness

• an air of melancholy surrounded him

[also adjective]

Oxford Dictionary of English, courtesy of Google

'Pensive' must imply peacefulness:

pensive: 1. thinking in a quiet way

[Cambridge Dictionary]

Answer 3

Earlier responses are good, however "sad but quiet and peaceful" suggests an accepted sadness, and previous answers didn't convey that to me. Some other options might be:

• Sorrowful
• Wistful
• Plaintive
• Crestfallen
• Downhearted
• Sullen

You can also use a word that does not have a definition related at all to what you need, but which conveys the right sense:

• Wintry
• Colorless
• Gelid
• Damp
• Faded
• Hollow
• Empty

And so on.

Also, to address other responses with my (subjective) opinion:

• Sombre emphasizes that the sadness is heavy and burdensome, not quite that it's peaceful.
• Melancholic is better, but emphasizes the behavior of the sad people. It doesn't necessarily suggest that they are habitually and unreasonably sad, but the word is often used in that sense, maybe because of its proximity to "melodramatic" and "morose". Using its noun form, melancholy, improves this, as it emphasizes the atmosphere.
• Dead, of course works in a particular style of writing, but probably not what you're looking for.

Answer 4

Elegiac may suit your needs. According to the OED, elegiac means:

Of the nature of an elegy; of or relating to elegies. Hence: mournful, melancholy, plaintive.

https://www.oed.com/dictionary/elegiac_adj?tab=meaning_and_use#5838885

Elegy, in turn, means:

A song or poem of lamentation, esp. for the dead.

https://www.oed.com/dictionary/elegy_n?tab=meaning_and_use#5628297

Since songs and poems of lamentation for the dead are usually grave and solemn, an "elegiac" atmosphere should be one that is not only sad but peaceful as well. The peace here, however, may be understood to be thrust upon the atmosphere, a sense that the nature of elegies evokse. As such, if you are seeking a word that expresses peace of mind, elegiac may not be appropriate. But if you are looking for a word that conveys an imposed peace, elegiac will do.

Answer 5

Perhaps forlorn? While there can be an additional layer of pity understood with that one, it conveys a solitary (which some may equate with peace) sadness.

Answer 6

I'd suggest triste. M-W says mournful.

(The editor thinks it's too brief without the link.)

Answer 7

I believe my answer is exactly what you are looking for: Bittersweet

https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/american_english/bittersweet

1. bringing pleasure mixed with sadness

They were bittersweet memories.

Answer 8

As others have said in their answers and comments, you may not find a single word that denotes exactly what you want, so you'll have to decide what connotations you want to emphasize. With that in mind, here's another non-literal option: resigned.

Definition of "resigned" on Wiktionary:

Characterized by resignation or acceptance.

You didn't say why the people in the room feel the way they do. If they are disappointed but choose to react with acceptance rather than defiance, "resigned" could correctly describe their mood.

Answer 9

Perhaps the word 'nostalgic' may be useful. It conveys (to me at least) a little sadness and some peacefulness.

Unfortunately it also carries the meaning of memory, yearning, and so on, not part of your request. But maybe. :-)

Answer 10

There was a dead atmosphere in the room.

(No, I'm not going to explain what dead means, if you must have an explanation go look at the definition of dead on Wiktionary.)

And if the notion of a dead atmosphere isn't making you sad enough, think of a dead kitten - sad and peaceful enough for anyone, surely?