Definition of STALWARTS

Choose the Right Synonym for stalwart

Adjective

strong, stout, sturdy, stalwart, tough, tenacious mean showing power to resist or to endure. strong may imply power derived from muscular vigor, large size, structural soundness, intellectual or spiritual resources. strong arms the defense has a strong case stout suggests an ability to endure stress, pain, or hard use without giving way. stout hiking boots sturdy implies strength derived from vigorous growth, determination of spirit, solidity of construction. a sturdy table people of sturdy independence stalwart suggests an unshakable dependability. stalwart environmentalists tough implies great firmness and resiliency. a tough political opponent tenacious suggests strength in seizing, retaining, clinging to, or holding together. tenacious farmers clinging to an age-old way of life

Did You Know?

Adjective

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. In the 12th century, stalworth began to be used to describe strongly built people or animals (a meaning stalwart took on about two centuries later). 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 stælwierthe (meaning "serviceable"), which, in turn, is thought to come from terms meaning "foundation" and "worth."

Examples of stalwart in a Sentence

Adjective

their strong and stalwart son the stalwart soldiers in the army of Alexander the Great, who willingly followed him to the ends of the known world

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Among Republicans, Paul has long been seen as one of the most stalwart champions of stricter privacy protections. — Li Zhou, Vox, "Rand Paul says he’s “honestly undecided” on Kavanaugh," 23 July 2018 The chairs are part of a contest put on by Design Within Reach, that stalwart purveyor of covetable modern furniture, and Champagne Pommery to encourage people to make the coolest chair possible out of champagne corks. — Lindsey Ramsey, House Beautiful, "Look At These Adorable Chairs Made Out Of Champagne Corks," 22 Dec. 2018 But Sanders and other stalwart single-payer proponents see health care as fundamentally different from other commodities and believe the government should guarantee health coverage. — Dylan Scott, Vox, "The Medicare-for-all paradox," 14 Dec. 2018 America will miss her devoted son, her stalwart champion, her elder statesman. — Fox News, "Trump orders flags flown at half-staff for John McCain," 28 Aug. 2018 But with the rocket primed for interplanetary missions still in development, SpaceX will test out its BFR technology with the help of one of its stalwart vessels: the Falcon 9. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "SpaceX Is Fashioning a Miniature Big Falcon Rocket Out of a Falcon 9," 8 Nov. 2018 In America the most stalwart supporters of Israel and the Jewish people are evangelical Christians and orthodox Catholics. — The Editorial Board, WSJ, "The Oldest Hatred," 28 Oct. 2018 The airline, which ran up a huge debt during its thirty years in flight before ultimately being liquidated, is partnering with stalwart African airliner Ethiopian to get off the ground. — Erin Florio, Condé Nast Traveler, "Zambia is Relaunching its National Airline," 21 Aug. 2018 The mere fact that the U.S. would impose sanctions on Turkey — a stalwart NATO ally for decades during the Cold War — has increased uncertainty about the future in Turkey. — David Mchugh And Suzan Fraser, Fox News, "Why Turkey's currency is plunging and what it means," 13 Aug. 2018

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

Two more excellent Spinanes records followed—1996’s Strand and 1998’s Arches and Aisles—and after the Spinanes disbanded, Gates continued to perform and put out her own music and Plouf joined those '90s stalwarts Built to Spill. — Taylor Antrim, Vogue, "Taking to Rebecca Gates of The Spinanes, as Manos—a Lost '90s Indie-Rock Classic—Gets a Deluxe Reissue," 5 Dec. 2018 Pocan and Schakowsky are longtime progressive stalwarts, but Luján’s co-sponsorship is a bit more surprising. — Matthew Yglesias, Vox, "Top House Democrats join Elizabeth Warren’s push to fundamentally change American capitalism," 14 Dec. 2018 Black interiors have been so popular in the last decade that even websites like the stalwart Goodhousekeeping.com feature slideshows of black-walled interiors. — Laura Fenton, Curbed, "Black is the new black," 1 Aug. 2018 Today, hip breweries and restaurants operate among beloved stalwarts such as Findlay Market, a public market dating from the 1850s that sells fresh produce, meat and other goods. — Annie Zaleski, Cincinnati.com, "See Cincinnati with fresh eyes and visit these 7 postcard-worthy sites," 29 June 2018 The academy has produced former legendary Milan stalwarts such as Paolo Maldini and Franco Baresi; now, there’s a new local hero on the horizon in Calabria. — SI.com, "Davide Calabria's Agent Admits Napoli Were Interested in Signing the AC Milan Starlet," 11 Apr. 2018 Among each fund’s top 10 holdings are tech stalwarts IBM Corp., Intel Corp. and Nvidia Corp. — Bloomberg.com, "Blockchain ETFs Join Crypto Gyrations in Wild Early Session," 18 Jan. 2018 That’s the hall that houses exhibits from stalwarts such as Samsung, LG, Sony, and Panasonic. — Chris Morris, Fortune, "CES Loses Power on the Second Day of the Convention," 10 Jan. 2018 The Canucks picked ex-Seattle Totems stalwart Orland Kurtenbach as their first captain and weren’t known for much until surprisingly making the final against the dynastic Islanders in 1981-82. — Geoff Baker, The Seattle Times, "Mixed results: A half-century of trial and error with NHL expansion franchises," 5 Dec. 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'stalwart.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.