stoicism

sto·i·cism | \ ˈstō-ə-ˌsi-zəm

How to pronounce stoicism (audio)

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Definition of stoicism

1 capitalized : the philosophy of the Stoics

2 : indifference to pleasure or pain : impassiveness

Examples of stoicism in a Sentence

She endured his criticism with her usual stoicism.

Recent Examples on the Web The queen’s speech, like the king’s eight decades ago, appealed to the quintessential British traits of stoicism and solidarity. — Mark Landler, BostonGlobe.com, "Boris Johnson admitted to hospital as Queen Elizabeth urges resolve," 6 Apr. 2020 The author uses stoicism and its ancient adherents – figures such as Marcus Aurelius, Seneca and Cato – to argue that much of life is beyond our control, but not all of it. — Mary Cadden, USA TODAY, "Coronavirus reading: 10 inspirational books that offer advice on how to live in tough times," 6 Apr. 2020 Tackling the task with his trademark stoicism, Mr. Pence has largely drawn good internal reviews—including from President Trump—for corralling an unwieldy White House process and for delivering a focused message. — Catherine Lucey, WSJ, "Virus Response Gives Mike Pence Prominent but Precarious Platform," 25 Mar. 2020 And yet, could this stoicism also be Pete’s greatest weakness? — Ben Terris, Washington Post, "How does Pete Buttigieg feel?," 2 Feb. 2020 Thus, in the Japanese poetic tradition, their end must be accepted with a certain stoicism. — Ephrat Livni, Quartz, "The lessons of cherry blossoms are most relevant during the coronavirus pandemic," 19 Mar. 2020 While Joe Biden's campaign staff in Philadelphia was ecstatic last night over its spate of primary wins, the candidate tried to portray a level of stoicism as the nation—and his campaign—is wrapped up in coronavirus health concerns. — Caitlin Conant, CBS News, "2020 Daily Trail Markers: Biden to weigh in on coronavirus Thursday," 11 Mar. 2020 Despite his German Catholic stoicism for staying the course, Bieber could not stop the UAW's membership slide. — Jamie L. Lareau, Detroit Free Press, "Owen Bieber, longtime UAW president, dies at 90," 17 Feb. 2020 The result is riveting: a battle between stoicism and emotion, professionalism and sentiment. — New York Times, "How Watching ‘Jeopardy!’ Together Helped Me Say Goodbye to My Father," 4 Dec. 2019

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

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Last Updated

22 May 2020

Cite this Entry

“Stoicism.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/stoicism. Accessed 2 Jun. 2020.

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