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Synonym Chooser

How is the word stolid distinct from other similar adjectives?

Some common synonyms of stolid are apathetic, impassive, phlegmatic, and stoic. While all these words mean "unresponsive to something that might normally excite interest or emotion," stolid implies a habitual absence of interest, responsiveness, or curiosity.

stolid workers wedded to routine

In what contexts can apathetic take the place of stolid?

The synonyms apathetic and stolid are sometimes interchangeable, but apathetic may imply a puzzling or deplorable indifference or inertness.

charitable appeals met an apathetic response

When would impassive be a good substitute for stolid?

While in some cases nearly identical to stolid, impassive stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression.

met the news with an impassive look

When could phlegmatic be used to replace stolid?

While the synonyms phlegmatic and stolid are close in meaning, phlegmatic implies a temperament or constitution hard to arouse.

a phlegmatic man unmoved by tears

Where would stoic be a reasonable alternative to stolid?

The meanings of stoic and stolid largely overlap; however, stoic implies an apparent indifference to pleasure or especially to pain often as a matter of principle or self-discipline.

was resolutely stoic even in adversity

Examples Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of stolid In truth, not even the most stolid skeptic maintains that Trump is a perfectly normal politician, and not even the most histrionic #Resistance foot soldier believes that Trump is literally Orange Hitler. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024 Buck is more reassuringly stolid than live-wire Bucky, but both are models of courage. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 Aidan, a character designed to contrast Chris Noth’s withholding Mr. Big and originally scheduled for just three episodes, was also, like much classic American furniture, stolid and unyielding. Alexis Soloski, New York Times, 20 June 2023 The entrance to the management building, a stolid modernist structure, was dominated by bronze letters reading cccp. Elettra Pauletto, Harper's Magazine, 11 Dec. 2023 See all Example Sentences for stolid 
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stolid
Adjective
  • The chicken is tender and juicy, a blank canvas for a few meals..
    Alex Beggs, Bon Appétit, 12 Dec. 2024
  • In the video, Isabel stares into the camera with wide eyes and a blank expression, clearly astonished.
    Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • Weekly Newsletter In place of a stoic effort to avoid the influence of emotion, thirteenth-century thinkers including Thomas Aquinas sought to use reason to direct the passions correctly, turning them into tools for self-improvement.
    Livia Gershon, JSTOR Daily, 25 Nov. 2024
  • Gladstone has come to specialize in playing close-to-the-vest types, women who can be secretive and watchful but are hardly stoic or repressed.
    Dana Stevens, New York Times, 25 Nov. 2024
Adjective
  • As for the Bruckner, the Berliners succeeded in animating a figure who is too often treated as an impassive statue.
    Alex Ross, The New Yorker, 9 Dec. 2024
  • Navigating the new era of AI innovation While Keith Davidson faces ongoing questioning, former president Donald Trump is largely an impassive figure in...
    Washington Post, Washington Post, 25 May 2024
Adjective
  • Subjects were shown pictures of two expressionless male faces over and over.
    Elizabeth Preston, Discover Magazine, 11 Sep. 2012
  • Bale ran to the corner of the pitch, and, having been an expressionless bystander for much of the evening, shouted in ecstasy.
    Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
Adjective
  • And thanks to Chalamet grabbing a guitar and harmonica, the Bob Dylan movie is positively electric chronicling the enigmatic singer's early years in the 1960s.
    Brian Truitt, USA TODAY, 12 Dec. 2024
  • The trope of the toxic drama teacher rears its head: David and Sarah’s enigmatic acting teacher, Mr. Kingsley, manipulates their emotions and desires in the name of art.
    Tajja Isen, The Atlantic, 11 Dec. 2024
Adjective
  • However, due to an unseasonably warm year with no snow, the town is vacant and tourists have all chosen other destinations.
    Keith Langston, People.com, 14 Dec. 2024
  • With a priceless historic apartment in her family’s possession that was finally vacant after decades, the decision was clear.
    Linne Halpern, Architectural Digest, 12 Dec. 2024

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Cite this Entry

“Stolid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stolid. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

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