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.
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
Ariston, in turn, was something of a reformist within the Stoic school, holding that studies of nature and logic were a waste of time because such truths were fundamentally beyond human understanding.
From "Circumference" by Nicholas Nicastro
McElwee’s voice, more mature and stoic than before, fades in.
From Salon ● Jul. 24, 2026
As he led the New York Knicks to their first NBA championship in 53 years last month, Jalen Brunson was basketball’s most stoic superstar.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026
But for many - including stoic mom Dr Maggie Zingman - their reasons for being here are deeply personal.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2026
Yang, the freelancer, was stoic about the loss of the Galeries.
From Barron's ● May 27, 2026
Grizzled and stoic, Gavril drew the shroud from over Yakov’s head.
From "The City Beautiful" by Aden Polydoros
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.
