Synonyms/Hypernyms (Ordered by Estimated Frequency) of verb poise

4 senses of poise

Sense 1
poise -- (be motionless, in suspension; "The bird poised for a few moments before it attacked")
       => hover -- (hang in the air; fly or be suspended above)

Sense 2
brace, poise -- (prepare (oneself) for something unpleasant or difficult)
       => fix, prepare, set up, ready, gear up, set -- (make ready or suitable or equip in advance for a particular purpose or for some use, event, etc; "Get the children ready for school!"; "prepare for war"; "I was fixing to leave town after I paid the hotel bill")

Sense 3
poise -- (cause to be balanced or suspended)
       => put, set, place, pose, position, lay -- (put into a certain place or abstract location; "Put your things here"; "Set the tray down"; "Set the dogs on the scent of the missing children"; "Place emphasis on a certain point")

Sense 4
poise, balance -- (hold or carry in equilibrium)
       => hold, carry, bear -- (support or hold in a certain manner; "She holds her head high"; "He carried himself upright")

Antonyms of adj poised

2 senses of poised

Sense 1
poised -- (marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action; "a gull in poised flight"; "George's poised hammer")

INDIRECT (VIA balanced) -> unbalanced, imbalanced -- (being or thrown out of equilibrium)

Sense 2
collected, equanimous, poised, self-collected, self-contained, self-possessed -- (in full control of your faculties; "the witness remained collected throughout the cross-examination"; "perfectly poised and sure of himself"; "more self-contained and more dependable than many of the early frontiersmen"; "strong and self-possessed in the face of trouble")

INDIRECT (VIA composed) -> discomposed -- (having your composure disturbed; "looked about with a wandering and discomposed air")

Similarity of adj poised

2 senses of poised

Sense 1
poised -- (marked by balance or equilibrium and readiness for action; "a gull in poised flight"; "George's poised hammer")
       => balanced (vs. unbalanced) -- (being in a state of proper equilibrium; "the carefully balanced seesaw"; "a properly balanced symphony orchestra"; "a balanced assessment of intellectual and cultural history"; "a balanced blend of whiskeys"; "the educated man shows a balanced development of all his powers")

Sense 2
collected, equanimous, poised, self-collected, self-contained, self-possessed -- (in full control of your faculties; "the witness remained collected throughout the cross-examination"; "perfectly poised and sure of himself"; "more self-contained and more dependable than many of the early frontiersmen"; "strong and self-possessed in the face of trouble")
       => composed (vs. discomposed) -- (serenely self-possessed and free from agitation especially in times of stress; "the performer seemed completely composed as she stepped onto the stage"; "I felt calm and more composed than I had in a long time")