stalwart
adjective
strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.
stalwart
1 American
[stawl-wert]
/ ˈstɔl wərt /
adjective
-
strongly and stoutly built; sturdy and robust.
-
strong and brave; valiant.
a stalwart knight.
-
firm, steadfast, or uncompromising.
a stalwart supporter of the U.N.
noun
-
stalwarts
plural
-
a physically stalwart person.
-
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
stalwart
British
/ ˈstɔːlwət /
adjective
-
strong and sturdy; robust
-
solid, dependable, and courageous
stalwart citizens
-
resolute and firm
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
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.
Vocabulary lists containing stalwart
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Flippo, 63, a 25-year Air Force veteran and Trump stalwart, arrived in the district from Las Vegas.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 23, 2026
Considered alongside its stars’ tragically brief lives, “Ice Princess” conveys the critical need to give teenagers both stalwart encouragement and the tools to speak up when they need help.
From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026
This stalwart support reflects a deeper truth sometimes hidden in the polling headlines.
From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026
His talents caught the eye of then-paramount leader Deng Xiaoping and in 1988 he was appointed mayor of China's economic powerhouse city Shanghai, where he developed a reputation as a stalwart supporter of market reform.
From Barron's ● Aug. 12, 2026
So important was this day that an old man came to see, riding on the stalwart shoulders of his nephew.
From "The Pearl" by John Steinbeck
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 venues remain, however, the most prominent being the multigenre Royal Room, in Columbia City, owned in part by Seattle pianist Wayne Horwitz, who sees to it that locals get stage time.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 21, 2020
He considered himself a Stalwart, and he knew they liked him.
From "Ambushed!" by Gail Jarrow
The archipelago of 10 islands in the Atlantic Ocean, with a population of just under 525,000 according to the latest figures from the World Bank, have now held their own against two World Cup stalwarts.
From BBC ● Jun. 22, 2026
With the exception of Brivik’s appearance, Bird took the stage solo, alternating between performing unreleased songs from an upcoming album and much-loved stalwarts from his 2005 breakout, “The Mysterious Production of Eggs.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2026
The Coca-Cola Company did not deny that there are clear differences among the stalwarts of its diet brands.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 20, 2026
“The stalwarts of linear TV are really threatened by this new model, which is hostile to their very structure.”
From MarketWatch ● May 7, 2026
But even though Mariela has been one of his stalwarts, she seems disengaged and in no shape to rise to the occasion and win a part.
From "Drama High" by Michael Sokolove
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.
