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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 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 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 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 See All Example Sentences for stolid
Recent Examples of Synonyms for stolid
Adjective
  • Pinterest is flooded with soft-launch ideas: two plates on the dinner table, two silhouettes cast against a blank wall, two pairs of shoes sitting next to one another.
    Kameryn Griesser, CNN Money, 22 July 2025
  • What once sat blank and unmoving begins to flow and creak and jerk beneath its own weight.
    Laura Poppick July 22, Literary Hub, 22 July 2025
Adjective
  • The wildcard: Swiatek, normally stoic and focused on the court, has occasionally seemed distracted or at odds with herself this season.
    Corey Seymour, Vogue, 11 July 2025
  • Whether your preference is seaside towns, Olympic stadiums, stoic statues or artistic arches, Greece has plenty to fill your cellphone’s camera roll and offer you an unforgettable experience.
    Tracy Scott Forson, Smithsonian Magazine, 11 July 2025
Adjective
  • Blount, who appeared wearing a white button-down shirt and tie, his hands shackled in front of him, his bulging gut and beige tie spilling over his beige pants, appeared impassive and refused to meet his victim’s gaze as Rothschild addressed him personally.
    Colin Mixson, New York Daily News, 10 July 2025
  • Director and screenwriter Brian Koppelman returns as the wonderfully impassive numbers man to Uncle Jimmy (Oliver Platt), a guy everyone simply refers to as Computer.
    Nina Metz, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 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
  • This enigmatic character used his power to control the time-stream in a post-Crisis on Infinite Earths scenario to create a smaller universe with only two populated planets: our Earth and Krypton.
    Fran Ruiz, Space.com, 17 July 2025
  • Other notable cast members include John Lithgow as Hogwarts headmaster Albus Dumbledore; Paapa Essiedu as enigmatic potions professor Severus Snape; and Lox Pratt as Hogwarts bully Draco Malfoy.
    EW.com, EW.com, 15 July 2025
Adjective
  • None of the 408 properties — occupied or vacant — at the center of the litigation have a certificate of compliance, according to the city's lawsuit, which also alleges hundreds of thousands of dollars in unpaid blight violations.
    Nushrat Rahman, Freep.com, 25 July 2025
  • After hosting pop ups at Batch and elsewhere for a couple of years, Lit offered Fulco the vacant trailer space at Batch.
    Matthew Odam, Austin American Statesman, 25 July 2025

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Cite this Entry

“Stolid.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/stolid. Accessed 30 Jul. 2025.

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