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stolid

stolid

5 8.8
Someone who shows little feeling and rarely reacts
  • adjective
  • /ˈstɑːlɪd/
translation icon : impasible
  • Even when faced with the challenge, he kept a stolid demeanor, unbothered and calm.
  • stolid guy
  • stolid face
  • stolid woman

I was going to be a stolid bourgeois lawyer.

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Examples

  • Yamashita reared back in his chair, and the boyish grin returned to his usually stolid face.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Their faces in the circle of the glass were stolid and angry, Wade thought.

    Fiction book (1995)
  • There was only the promise of his own, stolid self, his strong hands, and her own place.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • Here Dave is much younger, of course, and a rather handsome man in a stolid way.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • Every afternoon, she turned up at the studio, stolid and unsmiling.

    Fiction book (2002)
  • Larry continued digging; the boy remained standing, shovel raised, stolid and impassive.

    Fiction book (1998)
  • The crowds were stolid, silent, each person sweating and giving off organic fumes.

    Fiction book (2000)
  • Kalisher's grief, while it lasted, was self-centered and stolid, a compound of loss and being alone.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • Despite the shocking news, he remained stolid, showing no sign of distress.

  • Her stolid expression made it difficult to tell what she was really feeling.

Synonyms

impassive
vsstolid
11 7.1

Not showing any feeling on the face or in the voice

describes low emotional response overall rather than only a blank look
unexcitable
vsstolid
6.7

Calm and not easily made nervous or emotional

tends to mean calm and not easily moved rather than only hard to rouse
phlegmatical
vsstolid
  • Archaic
9.9

Calm and not easily excited or upset

leans more toward general low reactivity rather than plain calmness
athymic
vsstolid
  • Specialized
9.9

Not showing much feeling

refers to low emotion in ordinary people rather than a clinical lack

Antonyms

535 2.1

Showing strong feelings that are easy to see

488 2.9

Aware of and careful about other people's feelings

How Emotional

expressive
41 3.4
calm
735 1.0
reserved
3.7
stolid
5 8.8
unresponsive
20 4.7

Surface Forms

stolid positive
stolider comparative
stolidest superlative

Etymology

Stolid comes from the Latin stolidus, which meant 'dull' or 'unmoved'. A helpful way to remember it is to imagine a person like a stone statue who does not show feelings, so a stolid person shows little or no emotion.