- 1be composed of something (formal) to be made or formed from several parts, things or people The committee is composed mainly of lawyers. Synonymsconsist of somebody/somethingcomprise make up something constitute be composed of somebody/somethingThese words all mean to be formed from the things or people mentioned, or to be the parts that form something.consist of somebody/something to be formed from the people, things or activities mentioned: Their diet consists largely of vegetables.comprise (rather formal) to be formed from the things or people mentioned: The collection comprises 327 paintings. Comprise can also be used to refer to the parts or members of something: Older people comprise a large proportion of those living in poverty. However, this is less frequent. make up something (rather informal) to be the parts or people that form something: Women make up 56% of the student numbers.constitute(formal) to be the parts or people that form something: People under the age of 40 constitute the majority of the labour force.be composed of somebody/something (rather formal) to be formed from the things or people mentioned: Around 15% of our diet is composed of protein.which word?Consist of somebody/something is the most general of these words and the only one that can be used for activities with the -ing form of a verb: My work at that time just consisted of typing letters. The other main difference is between those verbs that take the whole as the subject and the parts as the object: The group consists of/comprises/is made up of/is composed of ten people. and those that take the parts as the subject and the whole as the object: Ten people make up/constitute/comprise the group. It is not correct to use ‘comprises of’ or ‘is composed by/from’. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe adverbentirely, exclusively, solely, … See full entry
- 2[not usually before noun] calm and in control of your feelings She seemed outwardly composed. He remained perfectly composed and calm. Oxford Collocations Dictionary verbsbe, feel, look, … adverbextremely, fairly, very, … See full entry Extra examples He was pale but perfectly composed. The committee was composed entirely of specialists. He looked composed as he went about his work. She sat with a book on her lap, apparently quite composed.
Check pronunciation: composed
