Stoic

[stoh-ik]

adjective

1. 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.

2. 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.

noun

1. a member or adherent of the Stoic school of philosophy.

2. 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.

Stoic

¹

/ ˈstəʊɪk /

noun

1. a member of the ancient Greek school of philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium, holding that virtue and happiness can be attained only by submission to destiny and the natural law

adjective

1. of or relating to the doctrines of the Stoics

stoic

²

/ ˈstəʊɪk /

noun

1. a person who maintains stoical qualities

adjective

1. a variant of stoical

Other Word Forms

• non-Stoic adjective
• unstoic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stoic¹

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. )

Word History and Origins

Origin of Stoic¹

C16: via Latin from Greek stōikos, from stoa the porch in Athens where Zeno taught

Example Sentences

India's performance was a tribute to one of this area's other favourite sons, Lord Atherton of Stoic Defiance.

Read more on BBC

Despite his son’s aggressive posturing, Stoic fears he’s spawned a waste of DNA.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Stoic and self-aware, Fassbender’s Martian is a slippery figure whose sense of self begins to unravel as the show’s thrilling first season unfurls.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Last week, both Meta and OpenAI issued reports on Stoic's disinformation campaign and said they had blocked the company's network from further activity.

Read more on Salon

The ministry allocated about $2 million to the operation and hired Stoic, a political marketing firm in Tel Aviv, to carry it out, according to the officials and the documents.

Read more on New York Times

Related Words

• aloof 
• apathetic 
• detached 
• impassive 
• indomitable 
• long-suffering 
• matter-of-fact 
• sober 
• unemotional 
• unflappable