Stoic

American  

[stoh-ik] / ˈstoʊ ɪk /

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.

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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 British  

/ 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

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adjective

1. of or relating to the doctrines of the Stoics

stoic ² British  

/ ˈstəʊɪk /

noun

1. a person who maintains stoical qualities

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adjective

1. a variant of stoical

Other Word Forms

• non-Stoic adjective
• unstoic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Stoic

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. )

Explanation

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.

Example Sentences

He also tackles the question of whether that role was at odds with the Stoic ideals that Marcus set down in the intervals between battles in the notes that became the “Meditations.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 11, 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

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.

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

Related Words

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