variants or stoical
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Synonym Chooser

How is the word stoic distinct from other similar adjectives?

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

When is it sensible to use apathetic instead of stoic?

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

charitable appeals met an apathetic response

When could impassive be used to replace stoic?

The words impassive and stoic are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, impassive stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression.

met the news with an impassive look

When can phlegmatic be used instead of stoic?

While in some cases nearly identical to stoic, phlegmatic implies a temperament or constitution hard to arouse.

a phlegmatic man unmoved by tears

When would stolid be a good substitute for stoic?

While the synonyms stolid and stoic are close in meaning, stolid implies a habitual absence of interest, responsiveness, or curiosity.

stolid workers wedded to routine

Example 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 stoic The most devastating moments come when the anguished player gives way to the smiling father and the stoic partner. Jonathan Blitzer, New Yorker, 28 Sep. 2025 Partridge matches Boyle with a stoic, though also kind of wormy, good nature as Edward. Jackson McHenry, Vulture, 25 Sep. 2025 Hurts was asked about his stoic reaction during his media availability on Wednesday. Matt Audilet, MSNBC Newsweek, 25 Sep. 2025 However, just because the tradition is sacred doesn’t mean my styling needs to be solemn or stoic. Essence, 24 Sep. 2025 See All Example Sentences for stoic
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stoic
Adjective
  • The second-round pick has had to be patient for his moment after dealing with a groin injury in training camp.
    Adam Grosbard, Oc Register, 19 Oct. 2025
  • Milwaukee specialized in putting runs on the board in the regular season, advancing several baserunners through patient approaches at the plate, while also focusing on making contact.
    Nelson Espinal, MSNBC Newsweek, 18 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Muir’s head had slammed onto a shallow sandbar, his body instantly going numb.
    Laylan Connelly, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 Oct. 2025
  • Penile-inversion surgery is rumored to render the tissue numb.
    Mia Cathell, The Washington Examiner, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The story of children financially supporting their immigrant parents can feed into the myth of the Asian American model minority, which, in part, stereotypes Asian Americans as obedient, hard-working and uncomplaining.
    Mike Dang, New York Times, 21 Jan. 2023
  • Queen Elizabeth II was formal, interested, uncomplaining, and always respectful.
    Caitlin Flanagan, The Atlantic, 12 Nov. 2022
Adjective
  • De Gea developed it to a degree but was more of an instinctive shot stopper than someone who would marshal the back line and spread calm to those in front of him.
    Mark Critchley, New York Times, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Benkired, who reportedly appeared mostly calm in court Friday as prosecutors laid out the case against her, could face up to life in prison if convicted, Le Parisien reported.
    Sean Neumann, PEOPLE, 17 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • The Cowboys are only .500, and the expectations for this team from their resigned fan base are so low that a playoff appearance will qualify as a good year.
    Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 5 Oct. 2025
  • But there is a weariness here, too, a resigned cynicism that carries the film into its second act, which zooms ahead some 15 years and finds Perfidia’s child, Willa (Chase Infiniti), now a teenager living in hiding with her father, Bob.
    Richard Lawson, HollywoodReporter, 17 Sep. 2025
Adjective
  • But the drama can be very stolid, borderline dull at times.
    Jordan Mintzer, HollywoodReporter, 24 May 2025
  • Michelle DeYoung was a somewhat stolid Herodias, Piotr Buszewski a fiercely ardent Narraboth.
    Alex Ross, New Yorker, 19 May 2025
Adjective
  • Jason Clarke is a force as Alex, whose booming charm hides fraudulent business dealings and a growing opioid addiction, while Arquette is Emmy-worthy as the long-suffering but demanding Maggie.
    EW Staff, Entertainment Weekly, 17 Oct. 2025
  • Keaton became the go-to actress for family matriarchs and long-suffering wives in the years that followed, with memorable performances in The Other Sister, The Family Stone, and Town & Country.
    Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • But the most spectacular aspect of Nuestra Tierra may be its use of drone camerawork, and the way Martel uses the unsettling stillness of a drone as the eye of an impassive god, looking down at the wrongs carried out by those on the ground.
    Vulture Staff, Vulture, 23 Sep. 2025
  • There are also plenty of promotional materials dating from the building’s launch, and in one video clip, Kurokawa sells the merits of the building to an impassive audience of smoking businessmen.
    Anthony Paletta, Curbed, 2 Sep. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stoic.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stoic. Accessed 21 Oct. 2025.

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