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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 Its plot is as clever as its imagination is stolid, its subjects are as serious as its approach to them is bland. Richard Brody, The New Yorker, 25 Oct. 2024 Though even his private self might not be able to articulate it, this crushing cycle—strutting boy into stuck, stolid man—is what Gar’s running from. Sara Holdren, Vulture, 24 Mar. 2024 In truth, not even the most stolid skeptic maintains that Trump is a perfectly normal politician, and not even the most histrionic #Resistance foot soldier believes that Trump is literally Orange Hitler. Andrew Marantz, The New Yorker, 27 Mar. 2024 Buck is more reassuringly stolid than live-wire Bucky, but both are models of courage. Tom Gliatto, Peoplemag, 25 Jan. 2024 See All Example Sentences for stolid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stolid
Adjective
  • Rivera climbed into Feliz’s car; threatened, beat, and tased him, and then shot him in the chest point blank.
    Lourdes Rosado, New York Daily News, 30 Apr. 2025
  • His most lucrative title at one point was a blank book—a patented scrapbook of his own invention.
    Lauren Michele Jackson, New Yorker, 28 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • His dad was a stiff-upper-lip kind of guy, and Clint became known as the stoic kid with the sleepy brown eyes.
    Jenni Carlson, USA Today, 19 Apr. 2025
  • Sidhwa, a stoic man with short hair, woke up when the pressure wave from an explosion blew the door open.
    Clayton Dalton, New Yorker, 18 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The tone and point of view were lofty, sharp-eyed, seemingly impassive.
    Adam Gopnik, The New Yorker, 10 Feb. 2025
  • Farewell to the impassive, agile grapplers, and to the whiplash pleasure of a badminton rally.
    Maya Singer, Vogue, 8 Jan. 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
  • Julianne Moore toes the line between enigmatic socialite and cult leader in the new trailer for Sirens, a new limited series premiering May 22 on Netflix.
    Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 25 Apr. 2025
  • The city—ever elegant, ever enigmatic—set the stage for one of the magazine’s most iconic stories: The Last Waltz, Mario Testino’s sweeping September 2006 editorial starring Natalia Vodianova as a modern-day empress gliding through Schönbrunn and beyond.
    Lilah Ramzi, Vogue, 24 Apr. 2025
Adjective
  • The lot had been vacant since the early 1900s when this house was completed in 2018.
    Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 2 May 2025
  • In the 13th century, the papacy was vacant for almost three years before the election of Gregory X, who tightened up conclave rules.
    John Bacon, USA Today, 2 May 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stolid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stolid. Accessed 6 May. 2025.

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