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Sometime in the 15th century, English speakers began to use stalwart in place of the older form stalworth. Although stalworth is now archaic, it laid the groundwork for today's meaning of stalwart. During the 12th century, forms of stalworth began to be used to describe strongly built people or animals (a meaning stalwart carries). It also came to be used as an adjective for people who showed bravery or courage (likewise a meaning passed on to stalwart). So, in a way, stalwart has been serviceable in keeping the spirit of stalworth alive. This character of stalwart is true to its roots. Stalworth came from the Old English word stǣlwierthe (meaning "serviceable"), which, in turn, is thought to come from terms meaning "foundation" and "worth."
Synonyms
Examples of stalwart in a Sentence
Sean Evans, Robb Report, 5 Apr. 2024
Ragnar’s brother, Rollo (Clive Standen) is at once a stalwart companion and somewhat jealous of the long shadow Ragnar casts.
—Erik Kain, Forbes, 30 Mar. 2024
After a stalwart career at St. Frances, a football prep school of national acclaim orchestrated by current Charlotte 49ers coach Biff Poggi, Okie embarked on what would be a tumultuous college experience.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 29 Feb. 2024
As the stalwart nun resolutely sets out to achieve her goals, there’s no shortage of old movie-style foreshadowing in the script by Monteverde and Rod Barr.
—Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 29 Feb. 2024
Texas, led by stalwart defensive tackles T’Vondre Sweat and Byron Murphy II, is third nationally in rush defense, allowing just 80.8 yards per game on the ground.
—J. Brady McCollough, Los Angeles Times, 29 Dec. 2023
His father died eight days before he was born in 1864, and he was raised in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, by his widowed mother, a small-businesswoman and a stalwart temperance advocate.
—Michael Jackman, Detroit Free Press, 9 Mar. 2024
Also back are stalwart Rodrigo Lopez, fan favorite Jack Gurr, top-shelf keeper Danny Vitiello, midfielders Luis Filipe Fernandes and Arnold Lopez, and core defenders Lee Desmond and Connor Donovan.
—Chris Biderman, Sacramento Bee, 8 Mar. 2024
His stalwart navigator Chik (Ali Suliman) has a bad knee.
—Courtney Howard, Variety, 13 Mar. 2024
Skyler Trepel, Peoplemag, 27 Mar. 2024
In recent weeks, Queen Camilla, ironically once seen as a threat to the monarchy, has been a royal stalwart, attending several events on her own, giving speeches and handing out accolades.
—Karla Adam, Washington Post, 24 Mar. 2024
Management of the team passed to prominent saloon man and Republican stalwart Hiram McGar, who had the money to enlarge the grandstands of what became known as McGar Park.
—Richard Selcer, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 23 Mar. 2024
First, because of Barry Diller being a great steward of that organization and being a stalwart and encouraging original reporting without fear or favor.
—Lachlan Cartwright, The Hollywood Reporter, 14 Mar. 2024
Stefan Kirsten, a stalwart of German real estate who made his name overseeing the finances of giant landlord Vonovia SE, was brought in to clear things up as Adler’s new chairman.
—Jack Sidders, Fortune Europe, 12 Mar. 2024
Costco, beloved stalwart of budget shopping, is getting into the game with its own sushi counters.
—Sam Stone, Bon Appétit, 15 Mar. 2024
Slow and glitchy software has put it on the back foot in China, and it hasn’t been embraced by EV fans in the same way as stalwarts like Tesla.
—Ryan Hogg, Fortune Europe, 13 Mar. 2024
Only two shows, acquired stalwarts Young Sheldon (1.35 billion minutes on Netflix and Max) and Bluey (1.14 billion minutes on Disney+), eclipsed a billion minutes for the week.
—Rick Porter, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 Mar. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'stalwart.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near stalwart
Cite this Entry
“Stalwart.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stalwart. Accessed 18 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
stalwart
1 of 2 adjective
stalwart
2 of 2 noun
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