of or relating to the school of philosophy founded by Zeno, who taught that people should be free from passion, unmoved by joy or grief, and submit without complaint to unavoidable necessity.
stoic. Often stoical characterized by a calm, austere fortitude befitting the Stoics, especially in the face of trouble or loss; not giving in to one’s emotions.
I'm normally pretty stoic about goodbyes.
At first, the artist’s father remained stoic about her success, barely reacting when she won the award.
a member or adherent of the Stoic school of philosophy.
stoic, a person who maintains or affects the mental attitude advocated by the Stoics.
She's such a stoic—she's suffering, but she never says a word about it.
First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin Stōicus, from Greek Stōikós, equivalent to stō- (variant stem of stoá stoa ( def. ) ) + -ikos -ic ( def. )
Being stoic is being calm and almost without any emotion. When you're stoic, you don't show what you're feeling and you also accept whatever is happening. The noun stoic is a person who's not very emotional. The adjective stoic describes any person, action, or thing that seems emotionless and almost blank. Mr. Spock, from the oldest Star Trek show, was a great example of a stoic person: he tried to never show his feelings. Someone yelling, crying, laughing, or glaring is not stoic. Stoic people calmly go with the flow and don't appear to be shook up by much.
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Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
It’s clearly vying to be shelved alongside the sententious Stoic self-help books that have become trendy among seekers of meme-able ancient wisdom in recent years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 8, 2026
Democracy thrives when citizens remember what the Stoic philosopher Epictetus said more than two thousand years ago: “We have two ears and one mouth, so we can listen twice as much as we speak.”
From Slate ● Jan. 2, 2026
India's performance was a tribute to one of this area's other favourite sons, Lord Atherton of Stoic Defiance.
From BBC ● Jul. 28, 2025
Despite his son’s aggressive posturing, Stoic fears he’s spawned a waste of DNA.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 11, 2025
When he came of age, he moved to Athens and heard the philosopher Ariston of Chios, who was a student of Zeno of Citium, a key figure in the history of the Stoic school.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
McElwee’s voice, more mature and stoic than before, fades in.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
Then there is that face: stoic, chin up, lips closed, eyes focused.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 26, 2026
Around 41 million voters are choosing between flamboyant hard-right White House-backed lawyer Abelardo de la Espriella and stoic left-wing Senator Ivan Cepeda.
From Barron's ● Jun. 21, 2026
But for many - including stoic mom Dr Maggie Zingman - their reasons for being here are deeply personal.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
I did stop, out of shame mostly, because the hunted wireless girl was being so stoic about it.
From "Code Name Verity" by Elizabeth Wein
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
