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; 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

And while 37-year-old Seamus Coleman may not be around for much longer - although he was non-committal about retirement - the Everton stalwart was the only player in the starting line-up older than 30.

From BBC • Mar. 27, 2026

It is many things: diner stalwart, weeknight hero, cafeteria punchline.

From Salon • Mar. 11, 2026

“This is in essence a scarlet-letter designation for Anthropic that puts this AI stalwart in the same category as the Chinese tech player Huawei in the U.S.,”

From MarketWatch • Mar. 1, 2026

The 37-year-old Treinen, who’s been on all three of the Dodgers’ recent World Series teams and was a stalwart in the 2024 postseason, struggled last season, going 1-5 with a 9.64 ERA in September.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 28, 2026

Winnie was equally stalwart, and her strength gave me strength.

From "Long Walk to Freedom" by Nelson Mandela

Related Words

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