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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 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 Allies say Starmer’s stolid exterior hides a steely ambition and a determination to win. Jill Lawless, San Diego Union-Tribune, 23 May 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 bad column was virtually blank.
    Jay Glennie, Deadline, 16 Oct. 2025
  • Taasa looks at him in blank, exhausted disgust and then looks straight into the camera.
    Kathryn VanArendonk, Vulture, 14 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Bieber isn’t like some stoic pitchers.
    Mitch Bannon, New York Times, 16 Oct. 2025
  • In Start of Watch, Harry Bosch, a intensely observant, stoic and unyielding young man, is a probationary patrol officer with the LAPD.
    Nellie Andreeva, Deadline, 15 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
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
  • And with a new and enigmatic Duke at the helm, Tintagel is also facing an uncertain future.
    Ellise Shafer, Variety, 8 Oct. 2025
  • Though the television show portrays Gein as a character so eccentric that townspeople don't feel comfortable sharing a nearby seat with him at the local diner, Gein was enigmatic but trustworthy to the locals in his younger years.
    JR Radcliffe, jsonline.com, 6 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • While all this is going on, the rest of the gang is splitting up to find Marie and warn her about Annabeth’s nightmare-premonition of her bloodied, motionless body.
    Ben Rosenstock, Vulture, 15 Oct. 2025
  • In the eastbound direction, between the queue of cars and congregation of responders, lay a motionless helicopter, not in the sky, but on the ground; not right-side-up but on its roof.
    Jake Goodrick, Sacbee.com, 11 Oct. 2025
Adjective
  • Once considered safe bets for steady rent, many now sit vacant.
    Amachie Ackah, Fortune, 10 Oct. 2025
  • Currently vacant, the building sits on a 1-acre parcel and includes a loading dock, freight elevator, multiple bathrooms and a main office with lobby.
    Matthew Glowicki, Louisville Courier Journal, 9 Oct. 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stolid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stolid. Accessed 19 Oct. 2025.

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