stolid

[ stol-id ]

adjective

1. not easily stirred or moved mentally; unemotional; impassive.

   Synonyms: phlegmatic, lethargic, apathetic

stolid

/ stɒˈlɪdɪtɪ; ˈstɒlɪd /

adjective

1. showing little or no emotion or interest

Derived Forms

• stolidity, noun
• ˈstolidly, adverb

Other Words From

• sto·lid·i·ty [st, uh, -, lid, -i-tee], stolid·ness noun
• stolid·ly adverb

Word History and Origins

Origin of stolid¹

First recorded in 1595–1605; from the Latin stolidus “inert, dull, stupid”

Word History and Origins

Origin of stolid¹

C17: from Latin stolidus dull; compare Latin stultus stupid; see still ¹

Example Sentences

That last idea is borne out sonically in the form of an instrument that sounds like a stolid trumpet—until it starts sputtering and trembling like an electric guitar.

From Time

In the narrowness of its range, the temperature may have made a particularly appropriate accomplice to Saturday’s skies, which were notable for their stolid and scarcely varying grayness.

From Washington Post

The animal’s stolid speed and strength powered massive migrations of people, pulled plows that transformed agriculture and revolutionized warfare.

From Science News

The New York Times began its review with the words “stolid and humorless.”

From The Daily Beast

And when he did, he was not positioned in front of a stolid stage set.

From The Daily Beast

Taylor was perfectly formed for the intuitive, opportunistic life of a rebel, but not for the stolid bureaucracy of government.

From The Daily Beast

Stolid and somber, these are films made to be admired, not loved.

From The Daily Beast

She is stolid and reliable, sartorially and in seemingly every other way, and that forms the essence of her appeal.

From The Daily Beast

She was a plump-faced, insipid child, with fair hair and pale blue eyes, stolid and bovine in their expressionlessness.

From Project Gutenberg

He paled a little, and sucked his lip, his eyes wandering to the girl, who stood in stolid inapprehension of what was being said.

From Project Gutenberg

It is just this joyous, care-free nature of the Irish that the stolid Englishman will never learn to appreciate.

From Project Gutenberg

Not that those stolid agriculturists required much repression.

From Project Gutenberg

One man, solid and stolid, stood his ground on the edge of the chain and administered a hearty kick upon each ankle as it passed.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• impassive