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Synonym Chooser

How is the word stolid distinct from other similar adjectives?

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

stolid workers wedded to routine

In what contexts can apathetic take the place of stolid?

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

charitable appeals met an apathetic response

When would impassive be a good substitute for stolid?

While in some cases nearly identical to stolid, impassive stresses the absence of any external sign of emotion in action or facial expression.

met the news with an impassive look

When could phlegmatic be used to replace stolid?

While the synonyms phlegmatic and stolid are close in meaning, phlegmatic implies a temperament or constitution hard to arouse.

a phlegmatic man unmoved by tears

Where would stoic be a reasonable alternative to stolid?

The meanings of stoic and stolid largely overlap; however, 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

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 stolid Accepting a lavish gift from the Persian Gulf nation makes even some stolid Trump allies queasy because of Qatar’s record of abuses against its Shiite Muslim minority and its funding of Hamas, the militant group whose attack on Israel touched off a prolonged war in the region. Kevin Rector, Los Angeles Times, 13 May 2025 Left wing-progressives, once skeptical of the status quo, have become stolid guardians of institutions, while right-wing conservatives – once champions of prudence – are tearing down fences. Christian Edwards, CNN Money, 5 Apr. 2025 Blink Twice nods at a tangle of different contemporary ailments: lifestyle fetishism, wellness hedonism, our obscene fealty to stolid tech bros and their untrammeled wealth. Sophie Gilbert, The Atlantic, 6 Dec. 2024 Chris is young and eager to impress; Duncan, who’s being reluctantly put out to pasture after this last mission, is jokey and irreverent (not a stretch for Harrelson); and Dave is ultra-serious, conveying authority through his stolid demeanor. Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter, 3 Sep. 2019 See All Example Sentences for stolid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stolid
Adjective
  • The court found Kurashov guilty of firing on the Ukrainian soldier at point blank range during an attack in the vicinity of the village of Pryiutne in the Zaporizhzhia region on January 6, 2024.
    Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 6 Nov. 2025
  • Similarly, in the second move, the number eight from the top row is moved down, creating a blank square in the middle of the top row.
    Big Think, Big Think, 4 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Hard not to call to mind the heavily creased face of a Native American man (who turned out to be Italian) in that public service ad against littering—hair in braids, a tear running down his stoic cheek.
    Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 4 Nov. 2025
  • The shades, stoic facial expressions and ensembles?
    Diana Pearl, PEOPLE, 31 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Modern buildings go up in the impassive lunar desert.
    Susan Sontag, Vogue, 26 Oct. 2025
  • 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
Adjective
  • Bale ran to the corner of the pitch, and, having been an expressionless bystander for much of the evening, shouted in ecstasy.
    Hua Hsu, The New Yorker, 21 Nov. 2022
  • The company poured $10 billion into its Reality Labs division last year, and CEO Mark Zuckerberg was criticized last week after posting a selfie that showed an expressionless version of his avatar in front of the Eiffel Tower.
    Marco Quiroz-Gutierrez, Fortune, 30 Aug. 2022
Adjective
  • Outfitted with a messy wig and white clothes, the robot remains motionless before suddenly collapsing to all fours and crawling, evoking scenes straight out of The Ring or The Exorcist.
    Kaif Shaikh, Interesting Engineering, 3 Nov. 2025
  • Tanev immediately dropped to the ice and was motionless for a bit before medical personnel quickly wheeled out a stretcher.
    Jonas Siegel, New York Times, 2 Nov. 2025
Adjective
  • Mia Wasikowska plays Edith, an heiress who marries a seductive baron, Thomas Sharpe (Tom Hiddleston), and moves into his enormous, decaying mansion — which is also inhabited by Thomas' enigmatic sister, Lucille (Jessica Chastain).
    Steven Thrash, Entertainment Weekly, 25 Oct. 2025
  • Brides finds Sally Bishop (Cooke) and her husband on a trip to Northern Italy in 1961, where they get stranded at a remote villa run by the enigmatic Vova (Lawtey), who presides over a household of beautiful, deathless women (Turner-Smith, Prettejohn) and their caretaker (Gorman).
    Matt Grobar, Deadline, 23 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Greenwood Republican Stacie Smith is seeking election to the vacant Senate District 26 seat formerly held by the late Gary Stubblefield, R-Branch, Smith announced on Thursday.
    Ella McCarthy, Arkansas Online, 31 Oct. 2025
  • City Council members approved last month cutting five employees, eliminating 15 vacant positions and other maneuvers to close a $3 million budget deficit.
    Ishani Desai, Sacbee.com, 30 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stolid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stolid. Accessed 8 Nov. 2025.

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