stoicism

noun

Definition of stoicismnext
as in nonchalance
the quality or behavior of a person who accepts what happens without complaining or showing emotion She endured his criticism with her usual stoicism.

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

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 stoicism In a great dramatic irony, his artistic pursuits, far away from the regimented goal of militaristic stoicism, lead to his initial tryout. — Siddhant Adlakha, Vulture, 31 Aug. 2026 An opportunity for players to showcase their personalities in a sport that often tends toward stoicism. — Ian Miller Outkick, FOXNews.com, 15 July 2026 Melliti keeps the shy teenager’s reactions neutral, Fatima’s stoicism a strategy to prevent exposing her inexperience. — Los Angeles Times, 12 June 2026 Hüller was overwhelmed by the praise at the Palais, her trademark stoicism breaking as the crowd saluted her moments of emotional abandon — including a tearjerker of a long-distance phone call and an explosion of rage at her narcissistic patriarch. — Nick Vivarelli, Variety, 14 May 2026 See All Example Sentences for stoicism
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stoicism
  1. nonchalance
  2. disregard
  3. casualness
  4. indifference
  5. recklessness
Noun
  • His Lieutenant Colonel Nathan Jessep isn’t fooling anyone with the calculated nonchalance and the propensity for quoting Melville and Shakespeare.
    — Sara Holdren, Vulture, 30 Oct. 2026
  • According to the team, Paul exhibits the patience and nonchalance of The Dude, an extremely chill character from the 1998 film The Big Lebowski.
    — Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 29 Oct. 2026
Definition of nonchalance
Noun
  • His actions demonstrated a profound disregard for human life and the rule of law.
    — News Desk, Artforum, 5 Nov. 2026
  • In addition, the jury found the two deputies acted with reckless disregard and awarded $10 million in punitive damages.
    — Richard Winton, Los Angeles Times, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of disregard
Noun
  • The painting’s joyful casualness belies its subject matter, clues to which can be found in the coyote on one of the men’s shirts and in the work’s title, Uncle’s Crossing (2022).
    — Maximilíano Durón, ARTnews.com, 4 Sep. 2026
  • For most, though, the dress is business casual, matching the growing casualness of their behavior in the box over the course of long sessions.
    — Andy Rose, CNN Money, 22 Aug. 2026
Definition of casualness
Noun
  • On Monday, Boulder police said 18-year-old Omar Perez of Thornton, Colorado, was arrested on Monday morning and charged with first-degree murder with extreme indifference and assault in the first-degree with extreme indifference.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 3 Nov. 2026
  • The goal is pure pleasure, not a statement or message; the worst-case scenario is indifference or mild disappointment—not, say, horror at your fundamental misunderstanding of a long-standing personal relationship.
    — Molly Fischer, New Yorker, 2 Nov. 2026
Definition of indifference
Noun
  • But the issue is less the presence of batteries than about habits of recklessness.
    — Justin Davidson, Curbed, 5 Nov. 2026
  • Jurors convicted Roane, 60, of Marion, Indiana, late Tuesday of Level 6 felony criminal recklessness — a low-level felony — and two misdemeanor counts of reckless driving, according to a prosecutor’s office spokeswoman.
    — Meredith Colias-Pete, Chicago Tribune, 28 Oct. 2026
Definition of recklessness

Browse Nearby Words

stoically
stoicism
stoke
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Stoicism.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stoicism. Accessed 13 Nov. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on stoicism

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about stoicism

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of impertinent

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

31 Useful Rhetorical Devices

More Commonly Misspelled Words

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

The Longest Long Words List

The Words of the Week - Nov. 13

Even More Bird Names that Sound Like Insults (and Sometimes Are)
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Great Big List of Beautiful and Useless Words, Vol. 5

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
speech-bubble-untangle
Simplify The Convoluted Expression Quiz A quiz that’s as “uncomplicated as a round de...
See All