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• stalwart
  stalwart

  adjective

  strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.
• Stalwart
  Stalwart

  noun

  a conservative Republican in the 1870s and 1880s, especially one opposed to civil service and other reforms during the administrations of presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield.

stalwart

¹ American  

[stawl-wert] / ˈstɔl wərt /

adjective

1. strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.

2. strong and brave; valiant.

   a stalwart knight.

3. firm, steadfast, or uncompromising.

   a stalwart supporter of the U.N.

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noun

1. a physically stalwart person.

2. a steadfast or uncompromising partisan.

   They counted on the party stalwarts for support in the off-year campaigns.

Stalwart ² American  

[stawl-wert] / ˈstɔl wərt /

noun

1. a conservative Republican in the 1870s and 1880s, especially one opposed to civil service and other reforms during the administrations of presidents Rutherford B. Hayes and James A. Garfield.

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stalwart British  

/ ˈstɔːlwət /

adjective

1. strong and sturdy; robust

2. solid, dependable, and courageous

   stalwart citizens

3. resolute and firm

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noun

1. a stalwart person, esp a supporter

Other Word Forms

• stalwartly
  adverb
• stalwartness
  noun

Etymology

Origin of stalwart

First recorded in 1325–75; Middle English (Scots), variant of stalward, earlier stalwurthe; see stalworth

Explanation

To be stalwart is to be courageous and dependable, like a stalwart knight who defends a kingdom from a ferocious dragon. Stalwart can describe someone who's able to keep on going even when things get hard, like a marathon runner who doesn't slow down even after spraining an ankle, or a supporter of a political cause that everyone else has long declared over. In U.S. history, the word stalwart was used in 1877 to describe Republicans who remained unwilling to trust the South, even though the Civil War was long over by that time.

Example Sentences

Stalwart of late-night commercials of the late ’90s and pop culture touchstone “Miss Cleo” died Tuesday after a battle with colon cancer, her lawyer confirmed to the Associated Press.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 16, 2022

Stalwart catcher Buster Posey, for example, turned in one of his best offensive seasons at 34.

From Washington Post • Nov. 16, 2021

Stalwart conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck made it a full 10 years before deciding she'd had enough.

From Salon • Oct. 22, 2021

Stalwart Kim Little announced her retirement, while Caroline Weir, one of the side's leading threats, was among a glut of injury withdrawals.

From BBC • Sep. 17, 2021

Her freedmen were represented by the captains of the three companies she had formed—Mollono Yos Dob of the Stalwart Shields, Symon Stripeback of the Free Brothers, Marselen! the Mother’s Men.

From "A Dance with Dragons" by George R. R. Martin

Related Words

• dependable
• fearless
• indomitable
• intrepid
• redoubtable
• staunch
• stout
• tenacious
• vigorous